Kyoto's Shugakuin Imperial Villa

Another one of a set of villas managed by the Imperial Household and requiring a special reservation, this too is a lovely place to visit, especially when I did in early May. About the size of Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, Shugakuin is full of green. In fact, photos that look down at it from above are amazing. It's easy to imagine why this location was chosen to be the playground of the Emperor and his family in Japan's early Edo period (1655). The villa also has some beautiful details that I have included in this photo story.