Old maps of Kofuku-ji show that the grounds of Yoshiki-en were originally the site of the residence of the temple's high priests. After becoming a private property in the Meiji era, the place fell in the hands of the prefecture. The garden itself its buildings were a project from the municipality that was complete in 1918. Finally, the garden was only opened to the public in 1989. Currently foreigners are admitted without fee.
Hidden from the traditional tourist circuit by just a city block (or rather "park block"), the garden is pleasantly calm. I personally discovered it only 6 years living in the area! The grounds are divided in three main gardens. The first garden is the "pond garden" (池の庭) which is next to the entrance. It has abundant vegetation, a small resting place perched on a hill and... a pond. The main buildings of the garden overlook the pond. The second garden is a slightly elevated plateau of moss (苔の庭) with a large tea house and its traditional thatched roof. At the end of the garden stands a lone stone lantern, and nearby the path climbs a little more to the "tea ceremonial flower garden" (茶花の庭) with many seasonal flowers.
Right next to Yoshiki-en is another interesting and quiet garden: Isui-en. Recommended for: Access: 250 円 Nearby: Isui-en 依水園 (80m), Nara Park 奈良公園 (360m), the Tokae festival 燈花会 (370m), Kōfuku-ji 興福寺 (580m), Tōdai-ji 東大寺 (620m), Nigatsu-dō 二月堂 (780m), Naramachi 奈良町 (990m), Kasuga Taisha 春日神社 (1.1km) External links: Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Nara, 吉城園, Yoshiki-en, park Statistics: visited on 8 occasions, id 466, 21 photos (28 extra photos can be found in the archive). | 
