Komyozen-ji Temple, Dazaifu

Komyozenji is a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect of Japanese Buddhism located on the South of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. The temple was founded in the middle of the Kamakura Period (1192-1333). The main attraction of Komyozenji is its beautiful Japanese gardens. The temple has two abstract rock gardens, a front garden and a rear garden. The front garden is the smaller of the two and is composed of fifteen rocks laid amongst a plot of raked pebbles. The rocks are distributed so that they form the Japanese character for "light". While, the rear garden incorporates a lot of plant life, stones and pebbles. The garden's moss patches, rocks and pebbles are laid out as an abstract representation of large land and water bodies. Branches of maple trees hang over the garden and make the temple a popular autumn leaf spot around mid November.

It is located only 5 minutes away from the main street after Dazaihu. Dazaihu is very crowded, but this place is very quiet and tidy. It has an atmosphere that can never be captured in a picture. It feels like the background of The Princess Mononoke of Studio Ghibli. Rare and special place that is not a common tourist destination.