Today’s Japan Photo: Kairaku-en 偕楽園

After visiting the most beautiful Kenroku-en 兼六園, I thought it would be good to continue my Today’s Japan Photo series with the other two famous Japanese gardens. Today we will be looking at Kairaku-en [偕楽園].

The photo was taken by flickr user reginaalvarenga, and just like Kenroku-en, I have chose another photo with a snowy scene. I just love how the winding road leads up to the snow-covered building in the background.

Here’s a little more background info on Kenroku-en [兼六園]:

Kairaku-en [偕楽園] is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan.Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Kairakuen was built relatively recently in the year 1841 by the local lord Tokugawa Nariaki.

Unlike Japan’s other two great landscape gardens Kenrokuen and Kōrakuen, Kairakuen served not only for the enjoyment of the ruling lord, but was open to the public.

While worth a visit throughout the year, Kairakuen is most attractive during the plum blossom season, which usually takes place in late February and March. Besides the plum tree forest, where one hundred different plum tree varieties with white, pink and red blossoms are planted, Kairakuen also features a bamboo grove, cedar woods and the Kobuntei, a traditional Japanese style building. While entry to the park is free, entry into the Kobuntei costs 190 yen.