Kenroku-en: Beauty in Small Things

Stroll through one of Japan's most celebrated gardens

Amber Mezbourian Apr 02, 2013 - 1 min read

A simple bridge of wooden planks allows visitors to cross this small stream.

A path curves elegantly through a luscious lawn of moss.

Wooden poles support the weight of this tree's branches, and are a feature in their own right.

Simplicity: a red leaf lies on a bed of moss.

Women painstakingly pick weeds from the mossy lawn, shielded from the sun by their large hats.

Summer flowers add a splash of colour to this path.

A sign in one of the teahouses points visitors in the right direction.

Pause for a rest and enjoy a refreshing cup of green tea.

A traditional Japanese sweet and cup of green tea.

Catch the breeze on the verandah and admire the view.

The simplicity of a typical Japanese-style room.

Spacious lawns and water - two of the six sublime qualities found at Kenroku-en.

Kenroku-en, designated one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, justly deserves this accolade. Dating back to the Edo period, it is a 'strolling style' garden, with spacious grounds containing ponds, streams, tea houses and cottages. It possesses the six sublime qualities to which gardens traditionally aspired: spaciousness; seclusion; artifices; antiquity; water courses; and panoramas. With so much going on, it's perhaps easy to become overwhelmed, but wander the numerous paths at your own pace and admire the beauty in even the smallest things here.

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Find out more about Kenrokuen Garden.

Amber Mezbourian @amber.mezbourian

I spent three years living in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme, not knowing what to expect but with images of Tokyo, geisha and Mount Fuji in my mind. I was placed in Yamagata prefecture in a small rural town that I couldn't find in any guidebook. I learnt to sno...