To be honest, we weren’t even aware there was a Yoshikien Garden in Nara city. This garden is situated right beside the more famous Isui-en Garden, but not mentioned in the travel guides we used in our itinerary preparation. In fact, we walked into this Garden thinking it was the Isuien. But what a pleasant find it was!
We were warmly greeted by an elderly lady at the entrance booth, and who spoke marvelous English and chatted with us a bit. Admission fee is normally 250円, but was free for us. Apparently, the local city government was offering free admission to foreigners if we’d participate in a short visitor survey – which we gladly did, saving us a tidy 500円 altogether for admission fees for the both of us.
According to the pamphlet given to us, Yoshikien Garden was originally the residence of priests from the Kofukuji temple, but during the Meiji Era came under private possession before being taken over by the Nara Prefectural Government in 1918. The Garden was finally made public in 1989.
The Garden comprises three areas: the Pond Garden, the Moss Garden, and the Tea-ceremonial Flower Garden. As with the other pictures we have taken in our trip so far, we can only guess at how stunning the place will look in the right season. Just your imagination here as you take a look at the very gray and drab winter pictures below.:(
I did a number of panoramic compositions that I’ll upload soon. These give a better idea of how beautiful the place can look.
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