Exploring the three great gardens of Japan

Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'

cherry blossoms, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
One of the 'iconic' views in Kenrokuen, Kanazawa
(Image credit: Azamat Esmurziyev / Alamy Stock Photo)

The world has few such serene places as Japan's traditional gardens. Each is a "meticulously crafted universe", said Danielle Demetriou in The Telegraph – a "near-sacred" space that invites you to savour the "stillness" of things. And of the many to be found across the country's main island, Honshu, three in particular stand out – the Nihon Sanmeien, or Three Great Gardens of Japan.

They are centuries old – "the stuff of Japanese landscape legends" – and each lies in a different prefecture, three or four hours apart by train. As overtourism increasingly plagues Japan (last year brought a record 34 million visitors), they could form the basis of an alternative itinerary – a journey into "the Japan of dreams", far from the tourist crowds.

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