Yoshiki-en

At the risk of appearing somewhat repetitive, I have included a series of images, all of the same pavilion within this garden. This is to illustrate what is to me the epitome of Japanese gardens, that is the way you are led visually between spaces with ever changing vistas opening up as you progress through the landscape. In many ways this represents a more comfortable aesthetic than that of Isui-en immediately next door, which seems to be a much more tightly, almost claustrophobically at times, controlled space, albeit with the welcome exception of the distant views towards Todai-ji. Most commentators seem to consider this a poor relation to Isui-en, which is great for me as it also tends to be less visited (despite being free for foreign tourists) and thus devoid of crowds; we were one of only three couples in the entire garden.