日本今年迎来破纪录的旅游高峰，游客数量激增，热门景点人潮涌动。作者分享了她在东京和京都的旅行经历，发现通过支付额外费用参观景点内的日式庭园，是避开人群、享受宁静的绝佳方式。从东京的滨离宫恩赐庭园和明治神宫的御苑，到京都的大河内山庄庭园和二条城二之丸庭园，这些隐藏的绿洲以其低廉的门票和迷人的景致，为游客提供了远离喧嚣的片刻安宁，并伴有品尝抹茶、欣赏美景等惬意体验，让旅程更加丰富难忘。

🇯🇵 日本旅游业蓬勃发展，今年游客数量创下新高，热门景点常人满为患。在东京的筑地市场和TeamLab Planets，以及京都的岚山竹林等知名地点，游客都可能面临拥挤的状况，影响游览体验。

🌿 参观收费的日式庭园是避开人群的有效策略。例如，东京的滨离宫恩赐庭园（300日元）和明治神宫御苑（500日元），以及京都的大河内山庄庭园（1000日元），虽然需要额外付费，但通常游客较少，环境宁静，提供了与主景点截然不同的放松体验。

🍵 在这些庭园中，游客可以找到独特的休憩方式，如在庭园内的茶室品尝抹茶、欣赏池塘或远景，享受宁静的时刻。例如，滨离宫的茶室、大河内山庄的茶点和二之丸庭园的茶屋，都为游客提供了与自然和文化亲近的机会。

🏯 即使是像二条城这样的热门景点，其内部的二之丸庭园也相对人少，提供了在参观城堡之余的放松空间。作者在二条城内品尝了季节性甜点，并享受了庭园的宁静，这与之前参观金阁寺时的拥挤形成了鲜明对比。

💡 尽管热门旅游地人潮汹涌，但通过发掘景点内的“隐藏瑰宝”，如收费的庭园，游客仍然可以找到属于自己的宁静空间，提升旅行的整体品质和愉悦感。

I went to Japan for the first time in March as it was experiencing record tourism.While the tourist attractions often felt crowded, I found a way to escape the masses.Paying extra to visit gardens within the tourist spots was a great way to enjoy the sights.

If it seems like everyone you know has gone to Japan, you're probably right.

The country is experiencing record tourism this year, with 14.4 million visitors in just the first four months of 2025, a 24.5% increase compared to 2024, according to The Japan Times.

As with any popular tourist spot, the crowds can be overwhelming. My fiancé and I saw them firsthand when we visited Tokyo and Kyoto in March, just as Japan's famous sakura season was about to start.

While exploring the famous attractions, we realized there was an easy and affordable way to enjoy the sights and escape the masses. The secret was in Japan's gardens.

Tucked between the skyscrapers

On our second day in Tokyo, my fiancé and I spent the morning wandering the packed stalls of Tsukiji Market. That night, we had tickets to visit TeamLab Planets, another big tourist attraction. What we needed in between was a moment of zen, especially as the jet lag started to creep in.

We found it at Hama-rikyu Gardens, residing alongside Tokyo Bay. It costs just 300 yen, or about $2, to enter. The landscape garden, which dates back to the 17th century, felt serene and idyllic amid the bustle of Tokyo. We walked past seawater ponds that quietly glistened under towering skyscrapers as birds chirped from a beautiful field of yellow flowers.

My favorite part was the teahouse, located on an island within the garden. My fiancé and I swapped our sneakers and boots for the provided slippers and brought our matcha to a bench outside to relax and watch the water.

We found similar refuge the following day as we made our way through Harajuku, a Tokyo neighborhood also known to attract huge crowds.

As we walked past throngs of people at the famous Meiji Jingu shrine, we came across the Inner Garden. Measuring over 890,000 square feet and older than the shrine itself, the garden has something beautiful to see no matter the season. The beloved iris garden — featuring over 1,500 plants — blooms in the summer, while the centuries-old Japanese maple trees turn stunning shades of orange and gold during autumn and winter.

While the shrine was free, the Inner Garden required a separate entrance fee of 500 yen, or about $3. The extra cost seemed to keep out much of the crowd, as the garden was fairly empty when we visited. We easily found a bench by Nan-chi Pond and enjoyed the peace as we watched the water lilies.

Hidden Kyoto gems

At times, the crowds felt even larger in Kyoto, which is significantly smaller than Tokyo but just as popular with travelers.

We could barely move as we shuffled through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove with our fellow tourists, many wearing brightly-colored kimonos and sandals from nearby rental stores. Thankfully, a friend had recommended that we visit Ōkōchi Sansō Garden, located at the end of the forest.

The 5-acre garden — which once belonged to the late samurai film star Ōkōchi Denjirō — costs 1,000 yen, or about $7, to enter. It features views of Kyoto City below, which my fiancé and I admired with no one around us. It seemed like we had the entire estate to ourselves as we strolled by the gardens, shrines, and traditional villa. The visit concluded at the teahouse, where we sipped free cups of hot tea and gazed at the bamboo groves from the large open windows.

We discovered another beautiful garden while visiting Nijō Castle, which I was surprised to find had far fewer crowds than many of the Kyoto attractions we visited.

The castle, with its stone walls and moats, was one of the sightseeing highlights of our entire trip. We paid 800 yen, or about $5, to enter the castle and an additional 500 yen, or about $3, to enter the Ninomaru Palace. This gave us access inside the palace, complete with stunning 17th-century illustrations painted on the sliding doors, as well as the Ninomaru Garden.

The garden has a teahouse overlooking its pond, which we admired as we ate a delicious seasonal parfait. It was a lovely reprieve after we'd spent the morning lined up with hundreds of other tourists to see Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto's famous golden temple.

All the moments in the gardens, enjoying sweets or drinks and taking in Japan's unique beauty, are among my favorite memories from an incredible trip. It showed me that while crowds are an inevitable part of traveling, you can always find some zen among the hidden gems.