Okochi Sanso Garden

Introduction

Okochi Sanso is the villa and strolling garden that film actor Denjiro Okochi (1898-1962) spent thirty years shaping at the foot of Mt Ogura, at the northern end of Arashiyama's bamboo grove. The garden borrows the scenery of Mt Hiei, Arashiyama and the Hozu gorge, unfolding teahouses, ponds, moss gardens and lookout points along the slope; its modern Japanese architecture and garden are registered tangible cultural properties. Compared with the crowded temples on Arashiyama's main street, the JPY 1000 admission keeps numbers low and the pace noticeably calm. That fee includes matcha and a Japanese sweet served after the walk, and sitting under the eaves with the hills beyond is how most visitors remember it. Spring cherries and fresh maple, and the full autumn red of the mountain, are the two best seasons, with the finest layered views toward the Hozu gorge from the upper lawn. Open daily 9:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30; it follows the bamboo path naturally before continuing to Jojakko-ji and Gio-ji.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info