Daitoku-ji: the Zen monastery
A walled town of two dozen subtemples, their gardens, and the quietest pine lanes in Kyoto. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Daitoku-ji main gate
Ten minutes west of Kitaoji station, the *-ji* (Zen temple) opens not as a single building but as a walled precinct of lanes. Most of the two dozen subtemples are closed to visitors — that's fine. The gravel paths between their white walls are the walk.

2. The pine lanes
Wander the central paths under old pines, walls and tiled gates on both sides, the gravel raked. Almost no signs, almost no people. You don't need a destination here; the point is the quiet between the gates.

3. Daisen-in
The one subtemple to pay for if you pay for one: a tiny *karesansui* (dry landscape garden) read as a river of gravel running past stone mountains to a stone sea. Photography inside is usually not allowed — look, don't shoot.

4. Koto-in
A maple avenue leads to a single view of moss and a stone lantern — the most quietly beautiful approach in the complex. Spectacular in late November; serene and green the rest of the year. Open seasonally, so check before relying on it.

5. Ryogen-in
Five small gardens around one *hojo* (abbot's hall), including one of the smallest rock gardens in Japan. Usually open year-round when the others aren't — a dependable fallback if Koto-in's gate is shut.

6. Imamiya-jinja east approach
Leave the monastery by the north gate toward *Imamiya-jinja*; the *aburi-mochi* (grilled rice cake) shops at its gate are two streets on, if you want the reward. Otherwise turn back south for Kitaoji station.

Daitoku-ji: the Zen monastery