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Isuien Garden

Isuien is a stroll garden divided into two sections with teahouses scattered across the grounds. The front garden, the older one, dates back to the mid-17th century and preserves the villa and teahouse of a textile merchant; the rear garden, larger, was created in 1899 by a wealthy merchant. The whole uses shakkei or 'borrowed scenery': the Nandaimon gate of Tōdai-ji and the Wakakusa, Kasuga and Mikasa hills form part of the visual composition. In the central pond there are two islands with sculptures of a crane and a tortoise, symbols of longevity, and the water comes from the Yoshiki river. Admission includes the Neiraku Museum, with ceramics, seals, mirrors and other objects from ancient China and Korea. It is recommended to allow about an hour for the visit.

Things to do at Isuien Garden: 3 missions

• Visit the museumVisit the small museum next to the garden, included with the ticket, which displays ceramics, seals, mirrors and other artefacts from ancient China and Korea.
• Explore the front gardenExplore the front garden, whose history goes back to the mid-17th century.
• Walk through the rear gardenWalk through the rear garden, the larger of the two, built in 1899 by a wealthy merchant.

Near Isuien Garden

Source: OpenStreetMap