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?
This looks amazing! I’m definitely going to go! Hope you are enjoying london 🙂 xxx
Let me know how you like it 🙂
How cool is that! I’d love to see it one day 🙂
You must if/when you visit London!
This looks truly amazing… definitely a place I would love to see one day 🙂 I hope you continue to have a great time there!
Thanks 🙂
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. 🙂
You must while you can…I wish I made more use of traveling around Africa when I lived in Nigeria!
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.
I wish there were places nearby to go hiking…can’t remember the last time I went!
Can I come visit you…PLEASE!!?!??
Hop on a flight 🙂
I’m going to go with the Rocky Mountains! 🙂
Good call :)! Which state do you live in?
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. 🙂
I’m one of those people who would never think to visit Jersey City….that might have to change after your comment 🙂
Sounds beautiful! I love Japan! Definitely nice to have such a wonderful and peaceful activity that is free on your door step!!!
Where about in Japan have you visited? I hope to one day!
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.
This garden trail sounds great- sometimes it’s nice to be able to escape the hustle & bustle that comes with city life!
Ooo I did not know this existed, how cool!
You must visit soon…before it starts cooling down!!
Oh I love the little waterfall – looks like a gorgeous place to visit 😀
It was my favorite part too 🙂
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!
DId you ever blog about your time in London? Would love to read it 🙂
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!
THat’s awesome you visited Japan, I hope to sometime soon :)!
The Kyoto gardens look gorgeous! Definitely on the agenda for my next trip.
Hope the weather is still great when you visit it…really is breath-taking!