Kenroku-en

The Kenrokuen Garden is the most famous in the area. Many consider it one of the top three gardens in Japan. It used to be the garden of Kanazawa Castle. It was used by the court since the 17th century, but it was not until 1874, that it opened to the public. There are more than 12,000 trees of 150 different species, but the most famous are the pines. The name, Kenrokuen, stands for park of six qualities (ken = quality or characteristic of something, roku = six in = park). It has the six properties for an ideal garden according to ancient Chinese tradition: elegance, beauty, space, scale, abundance

What does it take to create the perfect Japanese garden? The simple answer is spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water features and panoramas. In Kenrokuen all of these attributes can be enjoyed. The center point is the Kasumigaike Pond with it's iconic stone lanterns. However venture further in and you will find the delightful plum grove with twenty varieties of blossoming fruit trees and a trickling stream. Close by is the Shigure-tei teahouse. Take off your shoes, step into the tatami matted room and meditate on the framed vistas of the garden whilst sipping green tea and nibbling on a Japanese sweet.