Taste of Japan

At the first sound of London, chances are the following sights come to mind:

  • Big Ben
  • London Bridge
  • London Eye
  • Buckingham Palace

As beautiful as they all are, there is so much more to London which goes unnoticed.  I lived in England for 8 years and am still coming across new sights such as the Kyoto Garden.  Especially as it’s a small fenced-off area in Holland Park (West Kensington), it’s easy to pass by unless you specifically know it exists.

The garden was only created in 1991 as a gift from Kyoto to commemorate the long friendship between Japan & Great Britain.  Although I am yet to visit Japan, I definitely feel like I got a taste of it yesterday: the garden is carefully designed to reflect key traits of Japanese gardens including stone lanterns, tiered waterfalls and plenty of fish.  At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball, the garden’s beauty has a rather peaceful & restorative effect.

As much as I love to hang out with friends, eat at restaurants, and shop, I more than enjoyed seeing something new in London.  After walking around for a bit and instagramming away, my mom, sister, and I set up a picnic…talk about making the most of London summer! I won’t lie: being able to spend an enjoyable afternoon in this city for a grand total of £0 was a refreshing change.  Whether you’re in London, or planning to visit, I can’t recommend checking out the Kyoto Garden enough!

What’s a  noteworthy sight in your city, “hidden gem” or not? 

30 thoughts on “Taste of Japan”

  1. Love that you got to spend some time relaxing! A not so hidden gem that I need to take more advantage of around here is the Atlantic Ocean. 🙂

  2. I had no idea that was hidden in London! How beautiful and calming to find something like that in the middle of a city. My city has some great parks that are only a 15-20min drive away, so while technically not “in” the city, it’s so easy to get away and see lots of trees/go for a hike.

  3. London is famous for its parks, i’ll have to check them out, i’m really excited about Hyde Park. Hmm… well I live 10 mins from NYC, a hidden gem is downtown Jersey City, most people focus on NYC, understandably so, but downtown JC has gorgeous views of Manhattan that most people miss. 🙂

  4. How cool you have a Japanse garden! I love the story behind it too.

    Atlanta has a lot of fun hidden gems in it’s neighborhoods. I love the sunken garden trail in Midtown – makes for a great walk and you forget you’re even in the city.

  5. I lived in (and explored) Kensington for a summer, yet I had no idea that there was a beautiful Japanese garden so close to my flat! It looks like a perfectly tranquil place to escape to when you need a little break from the hustle and bustle of city life. Next time I’m in London, I’ll definitely be sure to go!

  6. How fun! Kyoto garden looks gorgeous! Looks similar to the one I went to in Portland, Oregon. I went to Japan two winters ago with my mom and sister, more specifically Hokkaido. So fun!

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