Temples and shrines truly are the thing to do in Kyoto. They are everywhere, and even after we’ve visited a bunch of them, I don’t get tired of them – I am happy to visit another one.

Kodai-ji was built to commemorate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan at the end of the 16h century.

There is more of a Zen feeling to this temple than any of the others we’ve visited until now, with a stone and gravel garden. There was also a more sizeable park/garden up along the slope of the hill than I had realized from the outside, nice to walk around in.

Even the stairs down from the rear gate of the temple were scenic.