Suzumushi-dera, or Kegonji as it is officially named, is a temple nestled into the woods south of Arashiyama in western Kyoto. While I’m sure many would have heard of Arashiyama before, I doubt many people would be familiar with this temple. The temple receives its moniker Suzumushi-dera for the populations of bell crickets it breeds and raises all year round for their popular chirping.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 2.

So let’s start with some basics. This is not a temple founded by a special person, for a special reason, or home to special artifacts. If that’s what you’re looking for then you want the other temple just up the road which can only be visited after making a reservation via postcard. This temple is really great for casual visitors because it doesn’t require any extra information to thoroughly enjoy.

Founded in the 18th century, Kegonji was a humble local temple in western Kyoto, but a few decades ago the chief grounds keeper, a fan of the sounds of crickets, would rest after a long day of work by enjoying the warm summer nights and listening to them chirping. Believing that crickets embodied many of the ideals of buddhist principles, he began raising a population of crickets in the temple. After years of breeding and research, the temple is home to several thousand bell crickets, suzumushi in Japanese, that chirp throughout the year instead of their typical brief presence in autumn. Visitors to the temple are welcomed indoors in groups every hour to enjoy tea and a 30 minute sermon led by one of the monks who explains not only the crickets chirping away in their boxes at the front of the room, but also how the guests can incorporate more mindfulness in their every day lives. When it’s over, the guests leave through the garden. Be sure to say a prayer at the Jizo statue out front. This statue is unique because he is wearing sandals, a small detail that implies that Jizo will personally deliver your prayer to you.

Tenryûji, located in the Arashiyama area of western Kyoto, was founded in 1339 by the first shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate (The Muromachi period 1336-1573), Ashikaga Takauji. Tenryûji was built to commemorate Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor who restored imperial control of the nation following his successful uprising to end the Kamakura period in 1333. Emperor Go-Daigo was later betrayed by the Ashikaga, one of the main families to aid in the emperor’s uprising. In order to appease the ghost of Emperor Go-Daigo, Tenryûji was built to honor him so that his ghost would not return and bring harm to the nation. The Emperor both in China and Japan is referred to as the heavenly dragon hence the temple name of Tenryûji: Ten meaning heavenly, ryû meaning dragon, and ji meaning temple, a.k.a. the Temple of the Heavenly Dragon. The temple gained further accolades due to the first abbot of the temple, Muso Soseki. Soseki was known for his garden architecture and designed the temple garden to become the first and by far most well known Zen garden. Such high praise established Tenryûji as temple #1 of the Kyoto Gozan.

For the casual: 9, for the educated: 9.

Though slightly tricky to get to, Tenryûji is one of the most amazing temples I ever visited. Now saying that, that means that there will probably be significant crowds of visitors to the temple. The temple gardens are designed and maintained in a way to invoke a deep sense of inner peace and tranquility while also serving as puzzles for meditation. It is important to note that every aspect of the garden is set that way for a reason, and I'm not only taking about why the pond is shaped the way it is or the number of rocks which produce a waterfall, I also mean which side of the rock is showing, how many leaves are allowed to remain on the moss covered ground, how tall the moss is, etc. The garden is meticulously maintained to evoke the right thoughts to enter the mind of the viewer. So look at the temple like one would when appraising a work of art: why did the artists choose to do that? Could it have been done differently and still be able to evoke the same feelings? Finally, I highly recommend that when you're done, you exit out the back garden gate to see the bamboo forests of Arashiyama. These forests are famous around the world and often find their way into feature films like "Memoirs of a Geisha". I've posted some of my photos below, but I would make sure you go see the forest if you're already in the area.