Eikan-dō (Zenrin-ji) temple is absolutely stunning in my opinion. I enjoyed it so much that I might dare say I liked it more than Kiyomizu-dera, especially now that the borders are opened and it is so crowded, while Eikan-dō was absolutely empty. It is a pretty huge complex with a large main hall and smaller temples, and the whole route experience felt like I was in a maze of lots of traditional Japanese buildings (which it literally was), narrow corridors, ponds with koi (beautiful carps), and so on (though a bit ruined by lots of "no photo" signs). Also, there were a lot of really interesting exhibits of different Buddha statues, beautiful art on those sliding doors covered in gold, and all of that had English descriptions which were actually quite interesting to read. There was one hall that stunned me the most because I have never seen anything like this before - Shaka-do Hall with a huge painting of a Raging River on the left side and a painting of the River of Fire.

You can also check out a city view from the Pagoda. Check the attached video to see if the view is worth the 5-minute detour from the main route for you or not. I would not say that it is something special, but if you are not in a hurry, I would go up there and chill for just 5 minutes (there is a rest area on top, right next to the Pagoda).

There are two gates that lead into the temple's grounds (Main gate and South gate), but you can enter only through the MAIN gate (check one of the attached photos for the map). And don't forget to check out the souvenir shop on your way out (to the left of the main gate). For example, I was able to buy a wooden rosary that was made from a 350-year-old pine tree, which was growing inside the temple's grounds but unfortunately fell down during one of the recent typhoons. I am not sure if it will still be available during your visit (I bought mine in August 2023).