Isuien Garden is a Japanese garden located in Nara City. It consists of two gardens created in different eras: the early Edo period and the Meiji period.
The first garden was built in the early Edo period by Doseki Seicho, a priest who was a personal admirer of Ryoan Kimura, a wealthy merchant in Kyoto. Dosei built the garden under Kimura’s guidance.
In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Saburo Suzuho, a businessman, purchased the Isuien Garden and added a second garden. Suzuho commissioned Jihei Ogawa, a renowned landscape architect in Kyoto, to create a modern Japanese-style garden incorporating borrowed scenery.
The highlight of Isuien is its beautiful scenery. In the front garden, highlights include the Tobiraian, an atmospheric tea house with a thatched roof, and the Momiji Bridge, famous for its autumnal foliage. In the back garden, visitors can enjoy strolling while taking in the borrowed scenery of Todaiji’s Nandaimon Gate (Great South Gate) and Mount Wakakusa.
Getting there
From Nara Station to Isuien Garden:
| Bus | Nara Station ↓ Bus Number 2 ↓ 6 minutes (4 stops) Kenchoazuma Bus Stop ↓ Walk about 4 minutes ↓ Isuien Garden (Cost 250 yen) |
| Walk | About 30 minutes (2.1 km) |
Details
| Hours | 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM Reception closes at 4:00 PM. Closed on Tuesdays. |
| Admission | Adults: 1,200 yen University students: 500 yen High school students: 500 yen Junior high school students: 300 yen Elementary school students: 300 yen |
| Phone | +81 742-25-0781 |
| Address | 74 Suimoncho, Nara, 630-8208 |
| Official Website | https://www.isuien.or.jp/ |
