Sweet Treats Kyoto Garden Villa Tour
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This tour is organized by Nichome Connect, a Kyoto based company offering Japanese tea themed tours and experiences and led by tour guides with unrivaled expertise in many facets of the Japanese tea experience: From the tea gardens and temples shaping tradition, to the tea schools passing down tradition, to the tea houses quietly creating their own rituals, our guides are local tea enthusiasts, thus are able to craft each tour to provide a truly enriching and seamless experience for every guest.
With a calm, professional demeanor and excellent English and Japanese communication skills, we take you by the hand and give you local access insider knowledge with omotenashi treatment.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
What To Expect
Old Mitsui Family Shimogamo Villa
Visit the garden villa of the once richest conglomerate in the country: the Mitsui clan. Located just outside the oldest forest in the country, Tadasu no Mori, the Mitsui Villa, was used by the family of Japan’s most prominent banking, real estate, kimono and beverage companies. Designed in the late 1800s, the three-story main wooden structure features a distinctive watchtower, while a stately tea room overlooking a garden features a gourd-shaped pond and a moss-covered winding path. Take it slow and enjoy Japanese confectioneries in this austere villa.
Murinan
Located in the upscale neighbourhood of Ozaki and built in the late 1800s Murin-an is a villa garden owned by Arimoto Yamagata, advisor to the then-emperor and crafted by master gardener, Jihei Ogawa. This modern, serene garden excels at shakkei, the Japanese gardening concept of using the surrounding mountains not merely as a background, but as an important element in its design. We will learn about its design principals, how it has been maintained over the years as well as enjoy Japanese sweets while admiring this ever evolving landscape.
Options
Sweet Treats Kyoto Garden Villa Tour
What‘s Included
All entrance and garden fees are included in this tour.
Seasonal Japanese confectioneries, or wagashi, in Japanese are included at two of the gardens we will visit.
Transportation by taxi is included in this tour.
Gratuities are excluded from the tour price but welcomed.
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
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Operated by Nichome Connect