Apr 16, 2018 - 1 min read

A Visit to Tamozawa Imperial Villa

Traditional Japanese residence and garden in Nikko

By Ekaterina Bespyatova

Community writer

Tamozawa Imperial Villa is one of the largest wooden buildings in Japan

I love capturing the garden scenery through windows and doors

And Japanese-style round windows are one of my favorite subjects

The villa is really quite spacious, and it's easy to catch a moment when there aren't any people around

It was early autumn in Nikko at the time of my visit

You can see some trees starting to change color

The leaves are moslty green, but small patches of bright red can be seen

The building is very pretty when seen from the garden

There's also a pond; you can easily spend an hour exploring this place

I’ve been to Nikko many times but somehow never got around to visiting the Tamozawa Imperial Villa before. It turned out to be well worth a visit. The place has a quiet atmosphere and nice garden, and the residence itself is impressive. In fact, it’s one of the largest of its kind in Japan.

This time I drove, but I think it’s walkable in about twenty minutes from the Tōshō-gū area. There's also a bus stop nearby, but if you're visiting in high season and want to continue afterwards to Lake Chūzenji, you're risking not being able to get on that same bus again (it will be packed with people, especially on a weekend). So, I'd recommend to either have your own wheels or make it just a trip to central Nikko without going up the Irohazaka road to the mountains. There are plenty of things to see and do around the Tamozawa Villa to occupy you for a full day.

More info

Find out more about Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park.

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By Ekaterina Bespyatova

Community writer

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Elizabeth S 6 years ago

It’s so close to Shinkyo. I had no idea.

Your photos capture the stateliness of the villa.

Shunichi Koyama 6 years ago

I agree! I thought my visit to this villa was worth while after a visit to Toshogu Shrine.

A walk from/to the Toshogu Shrine and visit to the Tamozawa Imperial Villa and Italian Villa Memorial Park will make your trip to Nikko special.