Hamarikyu Gardens in Tokyo is one of the most well-known Japanese Gardens once owned by a daimyo feudal lord. This garden is a typical stroll garden with paths around a central pond. Originally built in the 17th century, this had been used as a villa of Tokugawa shogun's family, and also had been repeatedly improved to suit each shogun's preference. At the end of the Edo Period, in the middle of the 19th century, "Enryo-kan", which was Japan's first full-scale guest house for non-Japanese VIPs, was built here. Former U.S. President Ulysses Grant, King Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawaii and other leading figures stayed here. These precious facilities were unfortunately destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the Second World War though, the authority started to tackle the rehabilitation plan. This great garden is on the way to the original state of the Edo Period. There used to stand five tea houses around/in the central pond. Four of them were already rebuilt...Nakano-ochaya in 1983, Matsuno-ochaya in 2010, Tsubameno-ochaya in 2015 and Takano-ochaya in 2018. The second picture shows Takano-ochaya on the left and the distant view of Matsuno-ochaya on the right.
Licensed tour guide,travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
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