Chishakuin

Unclaimed

This temple is a hidden gem in Kyoto! The golden panels and the garden inside the temple are absolutely magnificent. Very few tourists know about this temple so the atmosphere is really calm and relaxing, letting enjoy the view siting on the tatami floor. Highly recommend!

Wasn’t crowded when I visited on 11 Dec probably due to its location. While no longer peak dates, the momiji views were still excellent. Highly recommended.

To reiterate another review: this is a beautiful hidden gem that is shockingly calm and not full of tourists. It is a wonderful treat because you can take your time to truly enjoy the stunning gardens and amazing screens. This was one of our favorite places we visited. I’m shocked it’s not more popular but that is to your advantage. I highly recommend a visit. And then go see Sanjusangen-do (temple of 1001 statues of Kannon) which is nearby. Both are fabulous!

One of the lesser known things about this temple is that you can stay here! Beautiful, large modern rooms. We had the western-style room which still incorporated some traditional Japanese touches. If you’re a couple, the room will have two large single beds, so be warned if you like to share. There is also only one pillow each. Check in was facilitated by use of a translator (we speak very little Japanese) but was an easy process. Highly recommend getting the dinner and breakfast package, and making the early morning wake up to watch the morning prayers and temple service. It’s all in Japanese, as expected, but still a very humbling experience to be part of. Plus you get a private tour of the temple before the crowds! Overall a really cool experience that’s a bit outside the usual tourist trail, and one I’m glad I was able to do while in Japan.

This temple stay was worth every penny. The hotel facilities are luxurious and the rooms are huge for the city. We stayed in the Japanese western style room. The beds were comfortable, the tea table area was so cool, and the bathroom was large and had nice fixtures. They give you pajamas and slippers that you can use in the hotel bath house. The bath house is separated by genders and has plenty of washing stations with soap and conditioner and a getting ready dry area. They even allowed us to use the public bath even though we both have tattoos (feminine western style) which is pretty rare for Japan. We bought the breakfast and dinner kaiseki meals and they were awesome!!! One of the best most authentic meals of the whole trip. The temple tour and prayer in the morning was a cool experience even though the monks only spoke in Japanese (expected as a visitor in another country).