Suitable for female solo travelers

Here is a carefully curated travel guide for Sanzen-in Temple in Kyoto, covering beautiful scenery, delicious food, and cost-effective accommodation recommendations to help you easily plan your trip:

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### 🌿 **Must-See Scenery at Sanzen-in**
1. **Jubikan Garden**
- A pond-style garden in front of the guest hall, designed by Edo-period tea master Kanamori Sowa. Sitting inside the hall’s tea room (matcha + sweets 600 yen), you can enjoy a Zen-like view of maple leaves and moss through the window lattice—a perfect experience to soothe your body and mind.
- **Best Season**: Mid-November during the autumn foliage (red and yellow mix), and May when azaleas bloom.

2. **Yuseien Garden & Ojo Gokuraku-in**
- The garden is like a moss carpet scattered with adorable “Child Jizo” small Buddha statues (6-8 in total), with cute poses like resting their cheeks or praying, hidden among moss fields and stone lanterns waiting for you to discover.
- Deep inside, Ojo Gokuraku-in houses the national treasure Amida Triad statue, with a rustic thatched roof surrounded by ancient cedar trees.

3. **Golden Fudo Hall and Kannon Hall**
- At Fudo Hall, you can get protective charms or hand-paint a “Okigari Koboshi” wishing doll; climb the stone steps to Kannon Hall, where the golden Kannon statue and the “Garden of Compassionate Eyes” create a tranquil atmosphere.
- **Bonus**: The Ritsukawa Path often has wild birds, and the hydrangea garden in early summer (June-July) looks dreamlike.

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### 🍱 **Oohara Specialty Food Recommendations**
1. **Kyoto Pickles (Tsukemono)**
- Along the “Oharame Path” to Sanzen-in, many long-established shops offer Kyoto-style pickles made from local northern Kyoto vegetables. Recommended are sweet and sour radish and pickled eggplant, perfect as souvenirs.

2. **Shojin Ryori (Vegetarian Cuisine)**
- Family restaurants near the temple like **Obanzai Oohara** serve vegetarian dishes such as tofu soup and vegetable tempura, with set meals around 1000-1500 yen.

3. **Tea House Breaks**
- Enjoy matcha with red bean cake at the guest hall tea room (600 yen), or try the free specialty shiso gold leaf tea at “Wagokoro-do” beside the Golden Fudo Hall.

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### 🏨 **Cost-Effective Accommodation Recommendations**
The following hotels are within a 15-minute walk from Sanzen-in, affordable and highly rated:
1. **Ryoso Chatani Japanese Inn**
- **Location**: 10-minute walk (750m)｜**Price**: About ¥640/night
- Offers free bicycles, hot spring baths, traditional tatami rooms with garden views, and a simple breakfast included.

2. **Yunoyu Onsen Ohara Sansui Hotel**
- **Location**: 15-minute walk (1.2 km)｜**Price**: About ¥1,050/night
- Focuses on affordable hot spring experiences, includes a foot bath café, some rooms have mountain views, ideal for soaking and relaxing.

3. **Convenient City Access: The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike**
- **Location**: 30-minute bus ride (7 km)｜**Price**: About ¥680/night
- A four-star value hotel surrounded by Japanese gardens, with convenient subway connections, suitable for combining city sightseeing.

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### ⚠️ **Practical Tips**
- **Transportation**: Take bus lines **17/19 from Kyoto Station to “Oohara Station”** (1-hour ride, 560 yen one way), then a 10-minute walk. It’s recommended to buy the “Kyoto Subway & Bus One-Day Pass” (1100 yen) for unlimited rides without extra fare to Oohara.
- **Tickets & Hours**: Adult admission 700 yen｜Open hours: November 8:30-17:00, other months from 9:00.
- **Suggested Itinerary**:
- Morning: Sanzen-in (2-3 hours) → Noon: Hosen-in (800 yen admission, dry landscape garden) → Afternoon: Jakko-in (quiet nunnery).
- In summer, extend to Kibune Shrine (water divination + riverbed dining), taking the Eizan train through the autumn foliage tunnel.

> 💡 **Autumn Foliage Season Alert**: Mid to late November is peak season; it’s best to enter right at 8:30 opening to avoid crowds; the moss garden is greener after rain, so bring a macro lens to capture Jizo details.

The beauty of Sanzen-in lies in the Zen spirit and harmony with nature through the seasons. Spending half a day quietly sitting before the garden will surely bring you healing beyond expectations. Have a pleasant journey!