Okochi Sanso

The Okochi Sanso is a villa and garden built by the early twentieth-century film actor Okochi Denjiro on a hillside in the Arashiyama district of western Kyoto. Over decades the actor shaped its terraced grounds into a series of gardens, teahouses, and a small shrine, with paths climbing to viewpoints over the mountains, the river valley, and the distant city. Admission includes a cup of matcha and a sweet served in a rustic pavilion. Far quieter than the crowded bamboo grove nearby, it offers a contemplative retreat with fine panoramas.