To-ji

To-ji was founded in 796 as one of two temples guarding the gates of the new capital, and in 823 it was given to Kukai, who made it the headquarters of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. The pagoda is the landmark: 54.8 metres, the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, rebuilt in 1644 after several fires and visible from the shinkansen as it comes into Kyoto. The Kodo, the lecture hall, is the substance of the visit - twenty-one sculptures from the ninth century onward arranged in a fixed spatial pattern that renders a mandala in three dimensions, with Dainichi at the centre; it is the earliest such arrangement in Japan and remains as Kukai set it. On the twenty-first of each month the grounds host Kobo-san, a large flea market of antiques, ceramics, tools and food that has run for centuries.

What you actually see

• A 54.8-metre pagoda - the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, rebuilt in 1644.
• A three-dimensional mandala - twenty-one sculptures arranged in the Kodo as Kukai set them.
• Kukai's headquarters - the centre of Shingon esoteric Buddhism since 823.
• Kobo-san - a large flea market in the grounds on the twenty-first of every month.

When to go

The twenty-first for the market; spring evenings for the lit cherry. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The pagoda interior opens only on special occasions. Entry charges apply to the halls, not the outer grounds. The Kodo is dim and photography is restricted. Market days are crowded and the temple atmosphere is different then.

Nearby

Kyoto station is north-east; Fushimi Inari is south-east.