Step into the serene, moss-covered grounds of Garyu Sanso, a luxurious villa overlooking the Hijikawa River that was designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding nature. The villa was constructed over ten years by master craftsmen in the Meiji period (1868–1912).

The main building, the Garyu-in, is a single-story structure with a thatched roof, and rooms opening out onto the grounds. One of the rooms is designed for Noh theater, and has ceramic pots under the floor to enhance the acoustics. At the opposite end of the garden is the Furo-an, a tea house built to overhang the river on wooden supports set into the cliffside. It is designed with a clever concave ceiling that illuminates the room with light reflecting off the surface of the river.