Sento-Gosho Imperial Palace 仙洞御所

Located in the southeast of the park of the imperial palace Sento-Gosho no longer attracts crowds... the noble building has, however, been succeeded by a very pleasant Japanese garden.

All that remains of the residence of rest, where emperors retired to at the end of their lives, built in 1630 - but not rebuilt after being destroyed several times - is two tea houses, Seika-tei and Yushin-tei, of which it is possible to see the inner structure. The first, whose name comes from a verse by the Chinese poet Li Bai (701-762), engraved on a plaque of the pavilion, opens onto a pond lined by a pebble beach. The second features a thatched roof and a beautiful round window, which make it popular.

The South Pond, located on the former site of the Sento-Gosho garden, is crossed by, and can be admired from, three different bridges, including the Yatsu-hashi or zigzag bridge that is particularly surprising. When autumn comes, the maple trees turn purple and the place seems to be transported to time immemorial.