Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Koishikawa-Kōrakuen
খੴޙָԂ
• 1-6-6 Koraku, Bunkyō-ku • Daily 9am-5pm • ¥300 •
T
03 3811 3015,
W
tokyo-park.or.jp • Main entrance in southwest
corner of garden, between Suidōbashi and Korakuen stations
Immediately to the west of Tokyo Dome is
Koishikawa-Kōrakuen
, a fine early
seventeenth-century stroll garden. Winding paths take you past waterfalls, ponds and
stone lanterns, down to the shores of a small lake draped with gnarled pines and over
daintily humped bridges, where each view replicates a famous beauty spot. Zhu Shun
Shui, a refugee scholar from Ming China, advised on the design, so Chinese as well as
Japanese landscapes feature, the most obvious being the Full Moon Bridge, echoing
the ancient stone bridges of Western China, and Seiko Lake, modelled on the famed
West Lake in Hangzhou, a major city near China's eastern seaboard. The garden
attracts few visitors, though intrusive announcements from Tokyo Dome, looming over
the trees, mean it's not always totally peaceful.
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