Urakuen — Attraction in Inuyama

Lots of people seem to come here with discount coupons for staying at the hotel across or with public transport discount tickets. For those of us less fortunate, the full entrance price is 1200 yen per person. And another surcharge if you'd want to enjoy tea inside their tea room. On top of that, the lady at the ticket counter spent 10 minutes talking to two Japanese ladies in front of us, pretty much giving them a private tour while we waited in line along with a bunch of others behind us. Frustrating, especially if you have to pay an exorbitant amount to visit.

Anyway... The garden, the grounds, and the buildings are nicely maintained. They breathe peacefulness into your body and soul as you stroll around. Some buildings have their doors open, so you can take a glimpse inside. We spent a good half hour walking around, taking pictures and enjoying the...

Visited with my Japanese teenagers. This is a nice garden, matcha was good. Not sure on the designation as one of the best tea houses in Japan from 20 years here, but everything was fine enough. I will recommend to procurers to not assume every non-Japanese visitor can't understand the native language, and to at least check(!) first whether or not they speak English. Maybe even more importantly: treat all guests the same, as in don't hand cash directly between our hands when you use a dish for Japanese customers. Trying to help sensibilities for "omotenashi" while helping my kids understand why we'll always be treated different and why.. So. Just treat everyone the same eh. Then I can recommend to other bicultural...

A scam. Don't come here if you're interested in the Jo-an teahouse. You cannot see inside at all and are only able to look at the outside which is traditional style but new. You cannot even approach the building to peak in the window. They have pictures of the inside on view, which I could see online already, no need to come here. They charge a ludicrous ¥1200 to enter because they have a national treasure people want to see, the garden itself is nothing special. Its also now attached to a sleek, elite new hotel whose guests can enter the garden for free. One of the worst experiences I had in Japan. I came up here because it was not too far from Meiji Mura and I wanted to see the...