According to the garden pamphlet, Isui-en is the only garden of its kind in Nara, and indeed it rather looks like a Kyoto garden. The land on which Isui-en is built was originally part of Kofuku-ji, but around 1670 it was in the possession of a (rich) merchant who started to create the garden. The back of the garden with the larger pond is more recent, as it was was completed around 1900 by another rich merchant.
The garden is a nice place to have a quiet stroll, away from the busy and yet very close Todai-ji temple. Several interesting buildings and tea houses are scattered on the grounds, with two ponds serving as main structuring elements. A museum with an interesting roof design is also on the garden grounds. Nearby is another interesting garden, Yoshiki-en (吉城園), which is free for foreigners (!) Recommended for: Access: 900 円 Nearby: Yoshiki-en 吉城園 (80m), Nara Park 奈良公園 (300m), the Tokae festival 燈花会 (400m), Tōdai-ji 東大寺 (560m), Kōfuku-ji 興福寺 (650m), Nigatsu-dō 二月堂 (710m), Kasuga Taisha 春日神社 (1km), Naramachi 奈良町 (1.1km) External links: Website, Wikipedia, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Nara, 依水園, Isui-en, park Statistics: visited on 8 occasions, id 467, 20 photos (37 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
