One of the world's great cultural assets, the legendary beauty of the gardens of Kyoto has been developed and refined over many centuries. Whether for the festive delights of Cherry Blossom viewing in April or for the spectacular autumnal colours in November, Espirita visits Kyoto's gardens when at their very best.


During 5 days of expert, informative, but relaxed, guiding, the main strands of the Japanese Garden tradition will be pursued and revealed, As well as the tantalising mystique of the gardens themselves, the tour is also a journey to the very heart of Japanese design and aesthetic - essential for all those wishing to 'add a Japanese touch' to their own homes and gardens.


With 2,000 temples, palaces and gardens, and many other aspects of a rich cultural heritage, the extra days in Kyoto for personal exploration and relaxation serve to balance the overall journey. Seeing the gardens also involves seeing Japan, nothing can convey how good it feels to be in such a well mannered, orderly, virtually crime free society. Single travellers should worry not - Japanese people are extremely helpful and personal safety is at an optimum.


Now in Japan for over fifteen years, we have good long term relations with an international standard hotel group, ideally situated in Kyoto, for getting to the temple and garden sites spread across a large modern city, and in Okayama, for three days of day trips to featured gardens, towns and museums in Central Japan. Our hotel arrangements have been well appreciated by a wide variety of clients over many years.

Okayama - We relocate to Okayama and base ourselves at an international standard hotel adjacent to the railway station for improved logistics. Easily accessible within 2-3 blocks of the hotel is Okayama’s very lively café and restaurant district. The change to a more human level ‘everyday Japan’ is not entirely unwelcome. Okayama is also home to the highly rated Koraku-en garden. 

Shikoku - a visit to the stunning stroll garden of Ritsurin in Takematsu, one of Japan's greatest gardens.

Hiroshima - arriving as the very pleasant city stroll garden of Shukkei-in is opening, from there it’s a short way to the profoundly moving Peace Park situated under the bomb epicentre. Depending on the timing of the high tide, we will then take the ferry direct from the Peace Park to the much visited Miyajima Island, with its iconic ocean setting Tori and the famous Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, surrounded by water at high tide. One option might be to start the day at Miyajima, but if the time of the tide is adverse no matter what, we will back track to Okayama and take in the Koraku-en gardens.

Matsue - Primarily, a visit to the well known Adachi Museum, which many consider to have the finest garden in Japan. Certainly it is a stunning creation with many notable design features. Though well worth getting to, it does take time whilst still leaving the opportunity to drop into the old town of Matsue - the simple house and garden of the 19th century traveller, Lafcadio Hearn, is a delight. Depending on time, another option is the delightful Yushien Paeony Garden

The tours will introduce participants to a varying menu of the principal gardens of Kyoto, as well as visiting some lesser-known gems.  Based on extensive knowledge of the gardening world in Kyoto, visits to gardens not normally accessible to the public are able to be arranged.

Robert a working landscape gardener with many fine gardens to his credit, is former Chairman of the Japanese Garden Society of Great Britain, and editor of its journal, has written numerous articles in various publications and has recently published 'Japanese Gardens in a Weekend'. He has already conducted many successful tours to Kyoto.

Japanese Garden Design Service

Tour Style & Structure - Our Tours are informal but well organised - we don’t believe in a jam packed itinerary with a continuous running commentary Out of the 7 days in Kyoto, 5 days will be ‘Garden Days’, leaving the hotel at about 8.00-8.30 am and returning at about 5.00-6.00 pm.

Japan is reasonably priced - Apart from travel inside Japan which can be expensive, food and living expenses represent good value compared with average European prices. Basic eating out in Japan is not expensive, good quality and tipping does not exist.


Transfer to Hotel in Kyoto - (Y900-Y1,000) The taxi fare from Kyoto Station to the hotel  is included in the quoted budget figure.


Hotel in Kyoto - 7 nights international standard accommodation is included in the budget.

Please note that we book our hotel allocation in Kyoto well in advance and that it is normally very difficult to get extra nights before or after the Tour dates in Kyoto


Hotel in Okayama - 3 nights international standard accommodation is included in the budget. 

Normal Western style buffet breakfasts are available, but as lunch tends to be taken whilst visiting the gardens, and as one tends to eat late in the evening, that can lead to three full meals per day. As all rooms have a small fridge and a Japanese style kettle with small cups - and there are various convenience stores within easy reach, 'room snack breakfasts' are quite possible. Please bring favourite teas, coffee, mug, snacks etc.

The hotel in Kyoto is in the central Shijo Karasuma district, with good connections North-South and East-West by bus, subway or suburban trains.  Bicycles are also an excellent way of getting about Kyoto. Local facilities - situated in a 'lived in' part of town, there are numerous modern city facilities within easy reach, including 24 hour mini-markets and 24 hour internet access. In our final correspondence 2-4 weeks before departure, we provide detailed information with maps of Kyoto and of facilities in the area local to the hotel.

As we are on a series of train based day trips out of Okayama, for everyone's convenience, we are accommodating at a modern international standard hotel adjacent to Okayama station.


Room Sharing - is not offered to persons that do not know each other beforehand.


Internet Access - Free wifi and cable internet access in all the hotel rooms.

Also included in quoted budgets:

Kyoto Local Transport - Y 7,000-10,000 approx. ( depending on size of group).
All modes of transport will be employed, depending on cost and convenience. In some cases, city buses and subways will be the most effective, and all clients are advised to purchase one of a variety of multi-trip travel card at the start of the Tour. For trips out of town, hiring mini-buses will be best, at approximately Y5,000 per person per day, or less per part day.

Kyoto Temple & Garden Entrance Fees - Y 10-12,500 approx. 
Entrance fees normally vary from Y300-500, but 'Special Openings' are not to be missed, and cost approx.Y800. At 3-4 garden visits per day, this cost can mount up over the Tour.

Tea Day Fees - Y 4,000

Okayama Day Trips - Y 19,400 JR West 7 Day Pass + Y 8,000 Tour Expenses
(Tour + Travel - JR 7 Day Pass - Y 29,650 )

Espirita Fees  - £550 per person 

Kyoto Only - for 5 or more Kyoto only clients on any one Tour : 
£50 per Kyoto only client

Small Group Premium :
£50 per person for groups of 6 or under

Excludes :
- International Flights
- Food
- Living Expenses

Note -  Although these amounts are ‘budgets’ and not fixed prices, as we have been in Japan for over fifteen years, we are reasonably confident about these statistics.  In some case, clients have noted that the Tour has worked out less than budget.


Payment - Non-refundable deposit upon reservation - £25 per person. Clients pay in the normal way for their own hotel bills, train & taxi airport transfers and local transport & garden entrance fees in Kyoto. Espirita Fees are paid to Espirita upon receipt of the invoice in our final correspondence 3-4 weeks before departure.

Food - surprisingly good value for basic fare at small local restaurants. Typical tray meals with a rice or noodle dish, pickles, soup and tea should cost Y700-1000. Making full use of the kettle and fridge in the room, one should allow Y2-3,000 per day for 'Basic Food', but don't deprive oneself of at least some of the gastronomic delights of Japan - for standard western restaurant prices or less, one can get a fabulous 8-9 course meal.


Climate and Seasons in Kyoto   The most important  point about climate and garden viewing in Kyoto is to go in April or November - any day at this time of year is a good day  A perfect cherry blossom or autumn maple day is not so important The main thing is to avoid the hot humid weather at other times of the year.


Cherry Blossom Viewing ( hanami )  - the exact time is, of course, climate dependent.

Traditionally, cherry blossom is at its peak in the first week of April. If there is a warmer than normal winter, it will tend to peak in sheltered city microclimates at the end of March , and in outlying districts in the following two weeks.

April 2000 - blossoms peaked in Kyoto April 6th-10th, falling on a warm day c. April 12th, but they were coming to their best on April 13-14 on the way to Ohara in the North. By April 14th-15th, blossom trees were starting to reach their best in Arashiyama, in the hills surrrounding Kyoto.   The cherry blossoms at the castle of Hikone were at their peak on April 17th-20th.   A visit on April 9th to one of the most famous cherry blossom trees in Japan, near Ouda, was fruitless - its buds remained firmly closed.   Trees in the various hill temples are at their best later in April.   Spring 2002 - ‘cherry blossom’ all over by the end of March was the earliest for 53 years, leaving one with the gracious beauty of the delicate bright green tracery of maples coming into leaf.

Temperatures in early April vary from a warm muggy hint of summer  to being damn freezing - though generally dry and pleasantly warm, rain at some stage is to be expected. Warm summery temperatures are to be increasingly expected as the month progresses.


Maple viewing - just as variable as ‘hanami’ and dependent on preceding Autumn temperatures     For maximum autumn effect, it needs to be beginning to get cold.

November 2001 - T-shirt weather of 20-25°C in the last week of October, changed to fresh, cool, occasionally rainy conditions from the beginning of November through until departing on November 18  Fukui, 90 minutes north of Kyoto, was bitterly cold on the night of November 15   Maple trees began to ‘turn’ November 6th, were at full effect November 11th-14th in Northwest Kyoto and  Southeast of the city centre, on November 17. In November 2002, the maples turned about 7-10 days earlier than 2001.


Only once in Japan ? - It is impossible to choose which is better between the Cherry Blossom and the Maple Viewing seasons - from the natural and the social point of view, they are both amazing experiences - at the core of the Japanese ethos.   Ideally, one should plan to visit Kyoto twice, in both Spring and Autumn.   Seasoned observers, having witnessed both, tend to prefer the subtler, gentler radiances of the Autumn effect.


Dress sense - the variable temperatures and conditions of both April & November suggest flexible layer based clothing.   One is more or less out of doors all day - none of the temples, where many of the gardens visited are based, have heating.  One needs a folding umbrella, shoes without laces to ease repeatedly taking them on and off, loose clothing and a second pair of thick socks for walking about without shoes on cool days.

Dress code in Japan tends to be slightly more formal than present standards in the West.  

Streaming - Free

Streaming - Free

Streaming - Free