Kyoto Private Tour for Japanese Garden Lover’s and “Teppatsu” Zen lunch

KANSAI Tourism Bureau and JTB Australia presents

Kyoto Private Tour for Japanese Garden Lover’s

and

Experience “Teppatsu” Zen lunch (vegetarian) at Izusen Restaurant

Traditional and historical Japanese gardens are best places to experience Japanese aesthetics.

Both artistic landscape inspired gardens with seasonal plants and dry stone gardens at Zen temples help to relax you and bring you to a place of meditation.

Visit various gardens with a Government-Licensed Guide and experience the traditional Japanese spirit which is expressed through plants, rocks, and the balance of design.

Itinerary

Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu’s grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, a few decades later. It resides on the other side of the city.

Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu’s former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.

Daitokuji Temple

Visiting the Zen temple complex of Daitoku-ji in northern Kyoto, you will discover temples within temples. Michael Lambe guides us through its rich history and the deep significance of its many meditative gardens.

Teppatsu Lunch at Izusen Restaurant

Teppatsu are the iron bowls that mendicant Buddhist monks used to receive their food. Izusen’s Teppatsu cuisine is a modern interpretation of the Zen spirit and traditions of Kyoto cuisine, with seasonal flavours served in bowls made to resemble the Teppatsu of the monks.

(Pictured below: Ayame, Yuri, Botan, Aoi)

Ginkauji Temple

Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) is a Zen temple along Kyoto’s eastern mountains (Higashiyama). In 1482, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa built his retirement villa on the grounds of today’s temple, modeling it after Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), his grandfather’s retirement villa at the base of Kyoto’s northern mountains (Kitayama). The villa was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimasa’s death in 1490. As the retirement villa of an art obsessed shogun, Ginkakuji became a center of contemporary culture, known as the Higashiyama Culture in contrast to the Kitayama Culture of his grandfather’s times. Unlike the Kitayama Culture, which remained limited to the aristocratic circles of Kyoto, the Higashiyama Culture had a broad impact on the entire country. The arts developed and refined during the time include the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, noh theater, poetry, garden design and architecture.

Honenin Temple

Starting with an incredibly scenic approach that culminates in a moss-covered gate, Honen-in works its magic on the visitor right from the start. Once inside, you’ll pass between two sand mounds that are said to purify the visitor. You then cross a lovely stone bridge over a pond and then make you way through a moss-covered garden to find yourself at a secret grotto behind the main hall.

Please head to your next destination on your own after the tour.

Select gardens from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.

In addition to gardens, you may also choose any famous site in Kyoto for a truly memorable experience!