Sento Imperial Palace — Emperor's Retirement Villa Garden

**Reservation ease:** Sento Palace is less famous than Katsura Villa, making reservations easier. Same-day standby tickets available at Imperial Household Agency office (arrive 30 min before tour). Online reservations (apply 1 day to 3 months ahead) usually successful even 1 week out except peak foliage season (November). Worth visiting if Katsura Villa is fully booked. **Garden highlights:** The North Pond (北池) features two arched bridges — Yatsuhashi (八橋, literally 'eight bridges,' though actually one zigzag bridge) and Yugetsu-kyo (a stone arch). The South Pond (南池) is larger with expansive water views and tea houses on islands. The guide explains seasonal plant selections, borrowed scenery techniques, and imperial family history. Photography permitted throughout. **Versus Katsura Villa:** Sento Palace's garden is larger and more varied than Katsura Villa's, with greater diversity of pond shapes, bridges, and tea houses. Katsura is more refined and architecturally significant (the villa buildings are National Treasures); Sento is purer garden experience. If choosing one, Katsura for architecture enthusiasts, Sento for garden lovers. Both demonstrate imperial taste at the highest level.