The gardens at the Heian Shrine present a more modern Japanese garden. The shrine and gardens were built in the Meiji era, in the late 1800s when Japan was adopted Western ideas and integrating into the world. While these gardens retain many elements of Zen gardens, they are distincly different. One noticeable difference is that there are three ponds, each of which is a separate garden, and that the purpose of the gardens is to show off the plants. Accordingly, there is a path to the requisite island, as well as a separate path off (so you don’t need to retrace your steps). The second pond actually has a third path, these Chinese-style stepping stones.