Visit Nara

Easily the most beautiful garden in Nara, Isuien is easily accessed on foot from Todaiji Temple or the Nara Prefectural Museum of Art . The main entrance takes you past the Neiraku Museum, included in the ticket price, which has a good collection of Japanese pottery. At the ticket gate, you will be met by volunteer guides who speak several languages. The front garden was created in the Edo period (1603 - 1867) for a wealthy textile merchant, with a villa and tea house for his leisure. The back part is a strolling garden, connected to the front by a large tea house that offers lunches and sweets. The garden uses shakkei, the traditional concept of borrowed scenery, with Nara's mountains and the Nandaimon (Great South Gate) of Todaiji Temple visible in the background. You can enjoy the gardens in around an hour. Next door,Yoshikien Garden is smaller, but free if you show a foreign passport. The gardens are about five minutes from Nara Park and Kohfukuji Temple.