Ryoanji – Temple of Peaceful Dragon – UNESCO’s World Heritage Site walking tour

Omamori at Ryoanji in Kyoto

This is a walking tour that usually departs from the Kyoto Samurai & Ninja Museum at 10:00 in downtown Kyoto. The fee covers 10 people. The tour is about 2 hours. Your tour guide is a government licenced tour guide. Whether you are a couple or a a group of 10 people the price is standard. The tour guide escorts you all the time and you take public transportation or ride a taxi as a group.
Please read more below about the venue:

This Zen Buddhist temple was originally built in the 15th century. Its dry landscape stone garden with 15 stones and gravels without using any water became extremely popular after Queen Elizabeth II visited here in 1975 and praised it.

In Zen Buddhism, practicing meditation is the most important thing, so unless you sit down and meditate, it is impossible to understand Zen. For those who came to be enlightened, you should be able to see 15 stones. If you can see only 13 stones, that means you still have a long way to reach enlightenment.

The stone water basin on the other side of the stone garden is for purifying your hands and mouth before entering the tea house.

The four kanji characters on each side of the water basin is read as “ware tada taru o shiru”, which means “I learn only to be content.” Buddha says the root of unhappiness comes from our profound desires. So, if we can reach the state of having no desires and learn to be content with what we have now, we can be happy. Even the clinging on to one’s life too much will make us unhappy. This idea of Zen Buddhism went well with samurai warriors who must always be prepared to die at any time.

Having your local private tourguide on the ground makes the traveling experience way more rewarding and fun. Maikoya has constantly been rated as the top cultural experience venue in Osaka and Kyoto and we work with the best tour guides in Osaka and Kyoto who are experts in their field. The best part is we have actual locations in the heart of Osaka and downtown Kyoto, so you can always call us or come to our office if you should have any problems at all. You can also leave your luggaes in our locations.

By having your private government licensed private tour guide you will get

An experienced, licensed local tour guide with all the local knowledge and tips who will make sure that you focus on relaxing and having fun and not worry about getting lost.
A well planned itinerary prepared for you in advance and shared with you in advance so that you don’t have to worry about missing your train or missing the best museum in town because it closes early.
An opportunity to exchange emails with the tour guide and ask some questions you may have including but not limited to good restaurants in town, seasonal activities, local customs and the etiquette, what to bring along and so on.
Your local guide will not only escort you throughout the whole trip, he/she will also share all the interesting facts about the culture and history of your destination that only locals know.
Your local guide will show you the best photo spots, best souvenir shops and off the beaten tracks that may be of interest to you.
You don’t have to pay for your guide’s transportation or meal.
During this tour you get to choose whether to take a taxi or use the public transportation. In either case it is good to bring comfortable shoes and leave your heavy bag at your hotel. You can always leave your belongings at our locations in Kyoto or Osaka if you need to. Also don’t forget to bring some cash to use for the vending machines and the souvenir shops as in Japan some stores still do not accept credit card.

This tour can be adjusted based on your needs and desires. As soon as you make the reservation the tour guide will contact you with the details.