Saihoji Moss Temple

Saihoji's garden was laid out in 1339 by Muso Soseki as a two-level design - a dry rock arrangement above and a pond garden below shaped like the character for heart. The moss was not part of the plan. The temple fell into neglect after flooding in the Edo period and moss colonised the whole lower garden; today around 120 species cover the ground, the roots and the stones, and the accident has become the reason anybody comes. That popularity nearly destroyed it: by the 1970s visitor numbers were compacting the ground and killing the moss, so the temple closed to casual entry in 1977. Admission now requires a written reservation in advance and a substantial donation, and every visitor first sits in the hall and copies a sutra with brush and ink before being allowed into the garden. The restriction is the reason the garden still exists.

What to look for

• Around 120 moss species - covering ground, roots and stone through the lower garden.
• A fourteenth-century plan - a dry upper garden and a heart-shaped pond below.
• Sutra copying first - brush and ink in the hall before the garden is opened.
• Access by reservation - closed to casual entry since 1977 to save the moss.

When to go

June to July, and ideally in rain. Two hours including the sutra copying.

Practical notes

Reservation in advance is compulsory and the donation is far higher than any other Kyoto temple. The sutra copying is not optional and takes time. Dry weather dulls the moss considerably. Photography is permitted but the garden route is timed.

Nearby

Arashiyama is north; Katsura Imperial Villa is east.