Japanese garden masterpieces, Heian-jingu Higashi Shin'en

The 4 Japanese gardens of the Heian-jingu from Kyoto were designed so that they would be attractive in any season, but in spring, during the cherry blossom period, they are literally breathtaking...

Here is a view from the East garden (Higashi Shin'en), a garden built around a pond and featuring an unusual and very beautiful building: called Hashidono ("bridge building"), this is a wooden bridge covered by cypress bark which originally belonged to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.