Description: Kyoto’s gardens and ryokans (traditional inns) are magnificent zones of tranquility. The great Shogun Ieasu’s great great-grandson built the Shugakuin Imperial Villa in 1659. It contains beautiful grounds at the foot of a mountain with serene, vistas over Kyoto. Our favorite though are the gardens, seen here, of the Shinto Heian Shrine built in in 1895 during the Meiji restoration. The combination of water, buildings, greenery and flowers is quite breathtaking.
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