Opened in 1991 as a gift from the city of Kyoto to celebrate the long history of friendly relations between the UK and Japan, the garden was designed and created by a Japanese designer and his team, with the project managed in collaboration with the Royal Borough of Kensington and the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce.

A more recent addition, the Fukushima Memorial Garden, was opened in 2012 to honor the support the British people offered following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami (which I did not photograph). While the garden itself is small enough to walk around in just a few minutes, doing so would miss the essence of the place. It’s a space to slow down, take your time, and truly appreciate the details.