Kyoto's Hidden Villas

Court nobles in the Edo period (1603 - 1867) and powerful politicians and businessmen in the Meiji period (1868 - 1912) poured their wealth and aesthetic sense into the creation of magnificent and historically important villas and adjoining gardens. These villas and gardens are the epitome of Japanese traditional landscaping and architectural techniques, embodying the beauty of what is called Japan's original scenery. This series meticulously introduces these historic villa complexes that are usually not listed in guidebooks and into which cameras have not been fully allowed up to now.