Daitoku-ji isn't a single temple so much as a walled complex of over twenty sub-temples, most of them not normally open to the public — a structure that makes it feel less like a tourist sight and more like stumbling into a quiet, still-functioning monastic town within the city.
How the complex works
A handful of sub-temples rotate through public opening, sometimes seasonally, each with its own separate admission and its own distinct garden — there's no single "Daitoku-ji ticket" covering everything, and no single correct route. Which sub-temples happen to be open when you visit genuinely shapes the experience.
What you're likely to find
Several of the open sub-temples feature significant karesansui (dry landscape) gardens in the same tradition as Ryōan-ji's famous rock garden, but with a fraction of the visitors — raked gravel, considered stone placement, and the same meditative design philosophy, experienced in near-silence rather than alongside a crowd.
The tea ceremony connection
Daitoku-ji has deep historical ties to the development of Japanese tea ceremony — several of its sub-temples were built or patronised by significant historical tea masters, and the complex remains an important site for tea culture in Kyoto today.