Ryoan-ji was originally a villa that belonged to the Fujiwara family. It was transformed into a zen temple in 1450. The temple is affiliated to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, whose head temple Myoshin-ji is just a few minutes to the south. The temple has one of the most renowned rock gardens in Japan. It consists of a rectangular field of white gravel raked in strait lines, 15 rocks and a clay wall. The garden has no plants, just some patches of moss that surround the rocks. There is a long-lasting controversy over who created the garden, when it was built and about its meaning. Here the rocks stay silent. They don’t tell stories about carp in a waterfall, Mount Horai or the Crane and Turtle Islands, they don’t say anything. We look at them and they remain silent. Ryoan-ji is one of Kyoto World Heritage Site.