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Kyoto Garden Secrets Led by an Architect PRIVATE Tour

By Nader
Free cancellation available
Price is RM 1,530 per adult* *Get lower prices by selecting more than 2 adults
See tickets
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 5h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Selective hotel pickup
  • Multiple languages
Overview

As an architect and design writer, I have long been fascinated by Japanese gardens—the way restraint creates profound presence, how every stone, lantern, and ripple of water is deliberate, and how simplicity carries layers of meaning.

This private tour is an invitation to “hack” the secrets of Japanese gardens. Far from fleeting Instagram snapshots, this experience is crafted for depth and contemplation.

[ Warning ] If the language of design, philosophy, or subtle beauty does not captivate you, this tour is not for you.

[ Notice ] This tour is completely private, meaning it will be only the travelers in your booking—no one else will join, and the guide will accompany your group exclusively.

[ Guarantee ] If the tour doesn’t meet your expectations, you can receive a full refund—through Viator, TripAdvisor, or directly from the guide himself.

Activity location
  • Kennin-ji Temple
    • 584 Yamatooji Yojo-sagaru Komatsucho, Higashiyama-ku,
    • 605-0933, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • 無番地 Kashiwayachō
    • 無番地 Kashiwayachō
    • 604-8014, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

Check availability

Kyoto Garden Secrets Led by an Architect PRIVATE Tour
  • Activity duration is 5 hours5h
    5h
  • English

Pickup included

Price details
RM 1,529.87 x 1 AdultRM 1,529.87
Total
Price is RM 1,529.87
Until Tue, 20 Jan

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Hotel Pickup (no vehicle)
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Admission Fee for the Hōjō (Abbot’s Quarters) at Nanzen-ji
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Admission Fee for Heian Jinja Garden
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Stovenirs (story + souvenir; a special souvenir with a story)
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Admission Fee for Shoren-in Garden
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Admission for Tanju-An Garden
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Admission for Seirai-in Temple & Garden
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Meals & Snacks
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Private transportation

Know before you book

  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Public transportation options are available nearby

Activity itinerary

Kennin-ji Temple
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
Why is Seirain Garden in Kenninji so aesthetically arresting? Here, we’ll explore the Japanese principles of shizen (naturalness) and fukinsei (asymmetry), uncovering how these subtle design choices create a quietly captivating beauty.
Nanzenji Tenju-an
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
We’ll head to Nanzenji’s Tanjun Garden and explore the charm of the indirect and the rugged, discovering how these qualities capture the essence of Japanese design and the arts.
Nanzen-ji Temple
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
Here we head to the Abbot’s Quarters (Hōjō) of Nanzen-ji, where the garden unfolds with quiet deliberation. Moss carpets the ground like a muted whisper, stones punctuate the space with subtle authority, and the gentle trickle of water reminds us that even in stillness, life moves on. Walking here, one senses that the garden is not merely decoration, but a meditation made visible—a place where the mind can rest, and the soul can quietly notice the elegance of restraint.
Shoren-in Temple (Shoren-in Monzeki)
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
At Shoren-in Monzeki, the garden speaks in whispers of moss, stone, and water. Each path and lantern seems placed not by chance but by a patient understanding of stillness. In the quiet of this secluded temple, one feels how beauty can be deliberate yet effortless—a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and notice the poetry in cultivated space.
Heian Jingu Shrine Shinen Garden
  • 1h
  • Admission ticket included
At Heian Shrine Garden, water flows with measured grace through ponds that mirror the sky, while bridges and blossoms trace a rhythm both deliberate and unhurried. The colors of each season—cherry pinks in spring, fiery maples in autumn—are orchestrated as if the garden itself were a quiet meditation on time and impermanence. Walking here, one senses that beauty is not simply to be seen, but to be felt, like a thought made tangible in moss, stone, and water.

Location

Activity location
  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Kennin-ji Temple
    • 584 Yamatooji Yojo-sagaru Komatsucho, Higashiyama-ku,
    • 605-0933, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Meeting/Redemption Point
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    無番地 Kashiwayachō
    • 無番地 Kashiwayachō
    • 604-8014, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan

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