Shōsei-en is a vast garden complex belonging to nearby Higashi Hongan-ji temple. It consists of several villas, tea houses, and two ponds. While some would say the garden makes you forget that you are only a few meters from Kyoto Station, in my opinion, this isn’t really the case: the views from the garden now include high-rise apartment buildings. On the other hand, though, it is a change to have a contemporary structure like Kyoto Tower in the background, isn’t it?
Entrance to the garden includes the perhaps best pamphlet, or rather booklet, in all of Kyoto.

Admission: open year-round
Nearby places of interest: Higashi Hongan-ji, Sanjūsangen-dō, Kyoto National Museum