If it seems like everyone you know has gone to Japan, you’re probably right.
The country saw record tourism in February, with 3.46 million visitors, a 6.4% increase from the year before, Reuters reported.
As with any popular tourist spot, the crowds can be overwhelming. My fiancé and I saw them firsthand when we visited Tokyo and Kyoto in March 2025, just as Japan’s famous sakura season was about to start.
While exploring the famous attractions, we realized there was an easy, affordable way to enjoy the sights and escape the crowds. The secret was in Japan’s gardens.
Tucked between the skyscrapers
On our second day in Tokyo, my fiancé and I spent the morning wandering the packed stalls of Tsukiji Market. That night, we had tickets to visit TeamLab Planets, another big tourist attraction. What we needed in between was a moment of zen, especially as the jet lag started to creep in.
We found it at Hama-rikyu Gardens, residing alongside Tokyo Bay. It cost us 300 yen, or about $2, to enter. The landscape garden, which dates back to the 17th century, felt serene and idyllic amid the bustle of Tokyo. We walked past seawater ponds that quietly glistened under towering skyscrapers as birds chirped from a beautiful field of yellow flowers.
My favorite part was the teahouse, located on an island within the garden. My fiancé and I swapped our sneakers and boots for the provided slippers and brought our matcha to a bench outside to relax and watch the water.
We found a similar refuge the following day as we made our way through Harajuku, a Tokyo neighborhood known for attracting huge crowds.
As we walked past throngs of people at the famous Meiji Jingu Shrine, we came across the Inner Garden. Measuring over 890,000 square feet and older than the shrine itself, it has something beautiful to see no matter the season. The iris garden — featuring over 1,500 plants — blooms in the summer, while the centuries-old Japanese maple trees turn stunning shades of orange and gold during autumn and winter.
While the shrine was free, the Inner Garden required a separate entrance fee of 500 yen, or about $3. The extra cost seemed to keep out much of the crowd, as the garden was fairly empty when we visited. We easily found a bench by Nan-chi Pond and enjoyed the peace as we watched the water lilies.
Hidden Kyoto gems
At times, the crowds felt even larger in Kyoto, which is significantly smaller than Tokyo but just as popular with travelers.
We could barely move as we shuffled through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove with our fellow tourists, many wearing brightly-colored kimonos and sandals from nearby rental stores. Thankfully, a friend had recommended that we visit Ōkōchi Sansō Garden, located at the end of the forest.
The 5-acre garden — which once belonged to the late samurai film star Ōkōchi Denjirō — costs 1,000 yen, or about $7, to enter. It features views of Kyoto City below, which my fiancé and I admired with no one around us. It seemed like we had the entire estate to ourselves as we strolled by the gardens, shrines, and traditional villa. The visit concluded at the teahouse, where we sipped free cups of hot tea and gazed at the bamboo groves from the large open windows.
We discovered another beautiful garden while visiting Nijō Castle, which I was surprised to find had far fewer crowds than many of the Kyoto attractions we visited.
The castle, with its stone walls and moats, was one of the sightseeing highlights of our entire trip. We paid 800 yen, or about $5, to enter the castle and an additional 500 yen, or about $3, to enter the Ninomaru Palace. This gave us access inside the palace, complete with stunning 17th-century illustrations painted on the sliding doors, as well as the Ninomaru Garden.
The garden has a teahouse overlooking its pond, which we admired as we ate a delicious seasonal parfait. It was a lovely reprieve after we’d spent the morning lined up with hundreds of other tourists to see Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto’s famous golden temple.
All the moments in the gardens, enjoying sweets or drinks and taking in Japan’s unique beauty, are among my favorite memories from an incredible trip. It showed me that while crowds are an inevitable part of traveling, you can always find some zen among the hidden gems.
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