UjiByōdō-in
平等院
Why it mattersA villa converted into a temple placed Amida worship within a carefully composed architectural and waterside setting.
KyotoDaikaku-ji
大覚寺
Why it mattersThe former imperial villa and its religious afterlife connect court residence with a lasting temple landscape.
KyotoKinkaku-ji (Rokuon-ji)
鹿苑寺（金閣寺）
Why it mattersThe Kitayama residence and its later temple identity invite a reading of patronage behind the celebrated view.
KyotoGinkaku-ji and the Higashiyama Villa
銀閣寺・東山山荘
Why it mattersThe Higashiyama villa connects cultivated surroundings with the cultural world of an Ashikaga shogun.
KyotoRyōan-ji
龍安寺
Why it mattersIts garden must be read within the buildings, viewpoints and later interpretation that frame an encounter with the stones.
KyotoNijō Castle
二条城
Why it mattersPalace buildings and gardens formed a setting for receiving visitors and making differences of rank visible.
OkayamaOkayama Kōrakuen Garden
岡山後楽園
Why it mattersA domain garden connected cultivated leisure to the property and resources available to Okayama’s ruling household.
KagoshimaSengan-en
仙巌園
Why it mattersThe Shimazu residence and gardens place elite domestic life beside the wider history of Satsuma’s resources and industry.
NahaShikina-en
識名園
Why it mattersThe royal garden offers a setting for understanding reception and court life in the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
KyotoMurin-an
無鄰菴
Why it mattersA modern political figure’s villa links a cultivated retreat to the public world beyond its garden.