Kenninji Temple

Kenninji is Kyoto's oldest Zen temple — founded in 1202 by the monk Eisai, who also introduced tea to Japan — and it sits right on the edge of Gion, hidden in plain sight while tourists walk past its walls on their way to spot geisha. Step through the gate and the noise vanishes. Raked gravel gardens replace the souvenir shops. It's one of the most underrated temples in the city.

The temple's most famous artwork is the Twin Dragons ceiling painting in the Dharma Hall — two massive dragons swirling across a 108-tatami-mat ceiling, painted in 2002 by Koizumi Junsaku to celebrate the temple's 800th anniversary. It's modern art in a medieval setting, and the scale is staggering — you lie on the tatami floor and look straight up at dragons that feel like they're about to tear through the ceiling. The ink-wash paintings on the sliding doors, including a Fujin and Raijin (Wind and Thunder Gods) screen that's a national treasure, are displayed as reproductions — the originals are in the Kyoto National Museum — but the reproductions are exquisite.

The garden is a perfect rectangle of raked white gravel with three stones — allegedly representing the Buddha, the Law, and the Sangha (community) — though as with all Zen gardens, the interpretation is yours. The real secret is the smaller gardens tucked behind the main hall, visible through circular windows that frame them like hanging scrolls. Kenninji also allows photography everywhere, unlike most Kyoto temples, which makes it paradoxically less crowded — people assume the best temples are the ones that ban cameras.