Sweet Treats Kyoto Garden Villa Tour
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This tour is led by 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.
Find out more about us at:
https://nichomeconnect.com
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.
Reviews
5 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Relaxing; Refreshing
markiyac2026,Jun 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We thought to just view the gardens on our own, but some required advanced reservation via a website that kept returning errors at booking, so we are happy to have been able to book with this company. The tour guide was so sweet and knowledgeable. It was interesting to hear how the gardens have changed ownership over the years and that even most Japanese people don't really get a chance to see them. The pace was slow and relaxed. One of the gardens was quite strict and no group photos were allowed but perhaps that made it more special in the end. We really enjoyed it and were relieved that transportation was included in the price as well as food and admission fees. All in all, a relaxing afternoon well spent. The guide even recommended a quaint local restaurant for dinner and called ahead to ensure they had seats for us!
Scenic Gardens; Nice Confections
584lindyd,Jun 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the Sweet Treats Garden tour. It was very well planned and executed as entry was well timed to miss the busy periods. The gardens were really beautiful and relaxed. In two of the places, we were served Japanese sweets--very interesting and a different texture than what I am used to-- not too sugary and made with vegan ingredients. The guide explained everything well and was very interesting to speak to and explained aspects of the gardens that we couldn't find information on. She even could explain how to make the dessert we ate as she studies traditional Japanese dessert making. A slow-paced, memorable experience. We are looking into some of their other tours.
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Operated by Nichome Connect