Manpuku-ji

Manpuku-ji in Uji is the head temple of the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism, founded in 1661 by the Chinese monk Ingen. Everything about the design reflects 17th-century Chinese temple architecture rather than Japanese convention: the wide axial layout, the curved rooflines, the carved decorations, and the incense smoke that fills the main hall. It is deliberately unlike most temples you visit in Japan. Ingen also introduced the Obaku style of tea ceremony and, according to tradition, popularized the habit of drinking infused coffee-like beverages.