Another of the 17 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Ryoanji Temple is the home of Japan’s most famous Zen garden. 

Constructed in the late 1400's, the temple reflects perfect harmony and elegant simplicity, with its long white rectangle of gravel raked to perfection daily by the temple’s monks. The garden’s origins and its meaning are shrouded in mystery; one theory suggests it was created in the late 15th century as a riddle set by a Zen master for his students. Fifteen boulders sit in the space, but from whatever angle you look at it, you can only see fourteen – if you can see all fifteen, you have reached the Zen state of completeness.