Kyoto, Japan is renowned for its dry landscape gardens, which are a prominent feature of its numerous Buddhist temples. These gardens, known as 'kare-sansui' or 'dry landscape', consist primarily of sand and rocks arranged to represent natural landscapes such as mountains, rivers, and islands. The concept originated in China and was brought to Japan during the Heian period. Notable temples with dry landscape gardens include Ryoan-ji, Kinkaku-ji, and Tenryu-ji.