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A famed landscape garden created by a famed Showa-era actor

Covering some 20,000 square meters on the southern incline of Mount Ogura, this villa garden is the product of the continued commitment of the Showa-era samurai movie star Denjiro Okochi, who began work on it at the age of 34 and spent 30 years lovingly and painstakingly crafting it until his death at the age of 64. The extensive views of the surrounding countryside and mountains are breathtaking, and it is said, these were what captivated the actor and kept him at work in his garden.
Visitors making their way to Okochi Sanso will find themselves treading a path through Sagano bamboo grove until they come to a large black gateway that gives way to the strolling garden dotted with sentinel stone lanterns and leading to Daijo-kaku, the main part of Okochi’s villa - in a fusion of ancient architectural styles: shinden-zukuri and shoin-zukuri. The garden also has a jibutsudo (a small Buddhist shrine), soan-style tea arbor Tekisuian and then Gekkotei, close to the hilltop, where magnificent views await. From here, the final stop is the Denjiro Okochi archive, with panel explanations and photos revealing his life.