Ryōan-ji

15 stones, five islands of moss, an ocean of raked white gravel, and a quiet impossibility built into it. Sit on Ryōan-ji's long veranda and count: from any spot you choose, one stone always hides behind another, and you never quite reach 15. Nobody knows who made this karesansui (a dry landscape garden that stages water and mountains in stone and sand) or when. A garden that keeps its secret in plain sight.