Free, but you book: three kilometres uphill, eighty minutes, 18 and over only.
It is not a garden but three separate villas, at three levels on the side of Mount Hiei, linked by paths that run through rice paddies, still farmed today by the Imperial Household Agency. You climb in a group behind a guide, without being able to wander on your own, and at the top there is an artificial pond overlooking the whole Kyoto basin.
An imperial villa on the side of Mount Hiei, north-east of Kyoto, managed by the Imperial Household Agency. The three villas stand at three different heights, and the fields between them are still farmed.
ℹ️ Entry costs nothing: the cost is the booking. You book online, or you turn up in person: from 8:40 timed tickets are handed out, first come first served and while they last, up to four people per group. ⚠️ The guided tour is compulsory, lasts about 80 minutes and you cannot go round on your own. ⚠️ You walk about three kilometres uphill, on steps and narrow bridges without handrails; the website warns of heatstroke in summer. ⚠️ Only those aged 18 and over are admitted: if you are travelling with children, you stay outside. Closed on Mondays (or Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday), from 28 December to 4 January and on ceremony days.
🚉 Umenomiya-mae · 6 min walk
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