Higashi Hongan-ji

Walk seven minutes north from Kyoto Station and the roofs of Higashi Hongan-ji rise over Karasuma-dori, bigger than anything near them except Kyoto Tower. This is the head temple of the Otani branch of Jodo Shinshu, founded in 1602 when Tokugawa Ieyasu gave the land to Kyonyo, which split Hongan-ji into a western and an eastern temple. The Goei-do was rebuilt in 1895 after the 1864 fire. It is 76 metres wide, 58 deep and 38 high, the temple counts it among the largest wooden buildings in the world, and its floor holds 927 tatami mats. Shoes come off at the steps, entry is free, and you can sit inside as long as you like. Photos are allowed if you are considerate. In the covered corridor to the Amida-do lies a kezuna, a thick rope twisted from hemp and human hair to haul the huge timbers for the rebuilding, next to a giant sled used to drag them through snow. It is an odd, slightly unsettling thing to stand over. A few minutes east, the Shosei-en garden, laid out in 1653 and a national Place of Scenic Beauty, asks for an upkeep donation of at least 700 yen. Nishi Hongan-ji, the western temple, is a few blocks away.