A Day Tour of Ōkōchi Sansō, the Film Star's Mountain Estate in Kyoto
Walking Through Nature's Private Living Spaces in Kyoto
While taking a trip to the former mountain villa (sansō) of Japanese period film star Ōkōchi Denjirō, in Arashiyama (western Kyoto), do not expect to visit a house. The property is closed to the public to maintain its integrity. However the magnificent gardens, nature’s private living spaces and the tea room are open to the public. Imagine a metaphorical mansion that you can explore with expansive rooms and surprising corners.
As you walk through the path up to the living spaces, the carpet is cushy, think luxurious green emerald moss. Multiple rooms are waiting to be discovered, the stones under foot are granite and slippery, be careful as you hike up. At the top, it is a room with a gazebo, hike down it is a tea room with a view where green tea and Japanese sweets are self-served.
The hedges leading up to the rooms are imposing and perfectly manicured. Hang on the sturdy and sleek golden bamboo railing as you get up the stairs. In nature’s living spaces, the artwork is striking. A full view of the Hozu river gorges is on display at the top in one room, a sprawling view of Kyoto in the other one with a wood balcony to sit and enjoy it.
Walking in Ōkōchi's garden is truly a visual and tactile sensory experience in nature. Ōkōchi Denjirō also left behind a physical museum. Artwork hangs better on concrete walls. The museum retraces the most famous movies of his iconic career. He appeared in more than 100 films and spent three decades of his career earnings on the gardens, personally overseeing the construction and picking materials to bring them to life.
If exploring the gardens left you wanting for more, as it did me, you can continue with a discovery of the famous Arashiyama Bamboo forest, that sits right outside the villa and the lively crowds that come with it.
The museum, open to the garden on one side, hung with stills from Ōkōchi Denjirō's films.
Words and photography by Eva Nean