This Japanese rock garden called karesansui, which uses no water and instead uses stones and sand to express a natural landscape, has been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty and is an important site that has existed for more than 400 years. Visitors to the garden are treated to the delicate depiction of a natural landscape through such representations as rocks and trees on the white sand for islands and trimmed azalea trees for swelling waves. The garden is particularly beautiful in May when the azaleas bloom and in autumn when the foliage begins to turn. Raikyuji Temple Garden is awarded 1 star in the Michelin Green Guide Japan. In the vicinity, visitors can see the buke-yashiki (samurai house) where samurai lived more than 300 years ago, offering a chance to witness a living landscape of the past.