Kyoto Garden, Holland Park

About the Kyoto Garden

The Kyoto Garden was donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in 1991, as part of the Japan Festival held in London in 1992. It was a joint project between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce, designed and built by a Japanese garden designer and his team.

The garden sits within Holland Park, the borough's largest park, which covers 54 acres of the former grounds of Holland House, a Jacobean mansion largely destroyed in the Second World War. The Japanese garden is a calm, compact space designed for strolling and pausing by the water.

What to see

• Waterfall and pond: a tiered waterfall drops into a pond stocked with koi carp.
• Stone lanterns and bridge: traditional features set around the water.
• Maples and shrubs: Japanese maples give strong colour in autumn.
• Fukushima Memorial Garden: a second, simpler Japanese garden next door, opened in 2012.

Planning your visit

The main park office and Stable Yard are off Ilchester Place (W8 6LU). The nearest Underground stations are High Street Kensington and Notting Hill Gate. There is a pay-by-phone car park off Abbotsbury Road with disabled parking.

Level access to the park is from North Abbotsbury Road, Ilchester Place, Duchess of Bedford Walk and Kensington High Street; the Holland Park Road and Abbotsbury Road South entrances are steep. Accessible toilets, including a Changing Places toilet, are at the Stable Yard, and the park has a café. Note that the under fives' play area is closed for refurbishment from 12 October to the end of November 2026.