Yoshikien Garden

Visit Nara This classical Japanese garden on a quiet river was built on the site of former priests' residences of Kohfukuji Temple. Beautiful in all seasons, it is most impressive in autumn when red leaves contrast with the wooden tea house. Right next to Isuien Garden, Yoshikien Garden is free with a foreign passport.

Yoshikien is a traditional Japanese garden that features three different types of gardens: a pond garden, a moss garden, and a tea garden. The entire site is small and can be seen in less than an hour.

The Pond Garden, centered around Horai Pond, is a strolling pond garden that makes use of changes in elevation. From the small artificial hill, visitors can look out over Mount Kasuga and Mount Wakakusa. The Moss Garden, located on the eastern side of the grounds, features a flat garden covered in Japanese moss.

When His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, visited Portland Japanese Garden, he proclaimed it to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.”