Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Koshikawa Kourakuen Part 2

I entered the gardens. It was pretty calm and quiet. There were a number of foreigners there. I talked to a young lady from Pakistan but now living in Iowa, USA. She is visiting Japan. I also had a strawberry ice cream. Yummy. The gardens are beautiful. And they have a long, long history. According to the pamphlet the gardens were originally built as a second residence (home) by a gent named Yorifusa in 1629. He later made this place his permanent home. Its style is a circuit style (Kaiyu-style) with ponds and man made hills around the pond. This garden has a lot of Chinese influence on it. A Chinese gent named Zhu Zhiyu was invited to come to do some planning and design. So, there is a strong Chinese influence here. Actually "Korakuen" is Chinese. It is "Gakuyo-ki". The meaning is "Worry before all  worries in the world, and enjoy all the enjoyments of the world." Maybe it means "Que sera, sera." Currently this Garden is designated as a Special Place of scenic beauty and Special Historic Site. It is amazing how these beautiful gardens can be so quiet and serene in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. 

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