Saihō-ji — popularly Kokedera, the Moss Temple — is one of the most famous gardens in Japan and arguably the most beautiful. The pond garden was laid out in the fourteenth century by the great Zen master and garden designer Musō Soseki on a damp, shaded site at the foot of a wooded mountain. Over the centuries the surrounding maples and pines were largely replaced by an extraordinary carpet of around 120 species of moss, which now covers virtually every horizontal surface.
Visiting Saihō-ji is a small ritual in itself. You must apply by postcard or online weeks in advance; on arrival you sit in the main hall, copy out a short Buddhist sutra with brush and ink, and only then are admitted to the garden — a deliberate barrier intended to keep numbers low and protect the moss. The visit takes about ninety minutes in total and is one of the great Kyoto experiences.