Last week I gave you a little sneak peak of my beautiful outing to Korakuen Garden. If you missed it, be sure to click here to check that one out first! It was so hard to limit the pictures that I was going to put on my blog post because the garden was so beautiful! I think I took around 200 pictures… yikes!
Korakuen Garden is another hidden gem located in Okayama, Japan. For a city that many people don’t hear about often, they sure have a lot of awesome things to see and do! The garden is located literally minutes from Okayama Castle, which I blogged about here. The area itself is just really amazing.
Korakuen is one of three Great Gardens of Japan, dating back to 1700! Unfortunately, Korakuen Garden was destroyed during the war but was rebuilt later based on paintings and records of the garden. I always feel so sad when I find out that a historical spot in Japan is just a restoration after being destroyed in the war… so much culture and history destroyed in a second!
Although it is not the original garden, it’s still an absolute beauty to behold. It makes me wish that more beautiful spaces were available where I’m from. Gardens are a hot spot for a lot of Japanese families, and they are always busy on the weekends and holidays. We have parks here in the United States, but the way that Japanese gardens are setup is a totally different experience. Everything is placed strategically to please the eye any way you turn. Everything fits together like a puzzle piece. You are literally looking at a masterpiece! It’s a lovely setting for families on a picnic or couples going for a stroll, and there were plenty of them taking advantage of the amazing weather.
I also felt like it gave me a chance to breath and really be in the moment. Does anyone ever feel like that when they are surrounded by nature? It makes me realize how beautiful and amazing this world is, how amazing that Allah has created such an expansive earth for us to enjoy. We spend so much time on our electronics and spend so much time indoors that we are disconnected from the blessing of our surroundings. 🙂
I saw a lot of little cute girls dressed in kimono roaming around with their parents. No idea what the occasion was for kimono, but it was adorable! There was also a couple getting their pictures taken at the garden, and the girl was wearing a stunning kimono. I felt like a creep taking their picture so I stopped myself. They must have been getting engaged or married soon. There are also cranes in the garden, but it was so hard to get pictures of them because there was a fine mesh fence surrounding them. It was the first time I had seen a crane. 🙂
I have so many more pictures, but I hope these two posts gave you a glimpse into what Korakuen Garden can offer you. If you ever visit Japan, I would definitely recommend a stop at Korakuen Garden… in the fall, it is even more beautiful!
Q: Have you been to an awesome garden like Korakuen Garden before? Please recommend some in the comments below so I can check them out someday!
Liked this post? Give it a like and feel free to read some of my other posts on Okayama, Japan below. 🙂
