When you think about Japan, a few stereotypical experiences come to mind, like: taking part in a tea ceremony, attending a sumo match, catching sight of a geisha, walking under cherry blossoms or eating excellent raw fish at a sushi bar.
Myself, I’m always hoping in Japan to run into ninjas or photograph a kaiju (a giant monster like Godzilla) in action. But that’s just me.
For the more spiritually minded, however, the ultimate Japan experience would no doubt be meditating in an authentic Zen rock garden. Nowhere captures that Zen vibe more than Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, perhaps the best, classical Buddhist rock garden in the country—and the most touristed.
Originally an aristocrat’s villa during Japan’s Heian Period, the site was converted into a Zen temple in 1450. Interestingly, the garden’s exact date of construction is unknown and speculation abounds regarding its designer.
The “garden” consists of a rectangular plot of pebbles surrounded by low earthen walls, with 15 rocks laid out in small groups on patches of moss. By design, at least one of the rocks is always hidden from the viewer.
Ryoanji is a special place to visit. Even after hundreds of years, the rock garden is perfectly maintained, landscaped and manicured—an act of devotion. The placement of the rocks gives a sense of islands floating in a wide ocean. Or if you prefer, cliffs poking out from a carpet of fog.
Some believe that the garden represents a tiger carrying cubs across a pond. Others claim that the garden represents an abstract concept like infinity. Because the garden’s meaning has not been made explicit, it is up to you to find the meaning for yourself.
Ryoanji is a calm and spiritual place, a spot to sit, watch your breath and contemplate the impermanence of life.
It’s also a wildly touristy site, on everyone’s list of “must-see-in-Kyoto” locations. Loudspeakers (with an emphasis on LOUD) blare incessantly, directing you where to sit, how to behave and when to leave. To appreciate Ryoanji, you need to arrive early in the morning, right when the garden opens, before the tourist hordes descend.
I like Ryoanji and think everyone should visit it. I also think there are other Zen rock gardens in Japan that are just as nice and a whole lot less touristy.
Little-known gardens where you might just see a ninja – or a kaiju.
(Ryoanji is a bit like a Rorschach test, where you receive a series of ink blots and ascribe your own meaning to them. What does Ryoanji mean? It’s up to you to determine, and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Isn’t this true in all aspects of our lives, particularly in this online age where experts, pundits and influencers are incessantly telling us how to think. I’m reminded of the lessons of the Indian spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, who essentially taught, “Don’t let any guru tell you the meaning of life. Find it for yourself through meditation.” Ryoanji might well be islands, tigers or infinity itself. Go early, center yourself, and make your own judgment, in this as in all things.)