A 90-minute hop from Tokyo on Japan’s fastest train, the Hayabusa Shinkansen, brings you to Sendai, the city of trees! My critique of many Japanese cities is that they have a lot of concrete and asphalt, and not much green space. In the 19th century, Sendai’s local ruler encouraged tree planting, and in the 1950s, the city doubled down on this. So Sendai appears to have more greenery than places like Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo. Introducing Sendai Sendai was founded in 1600 by the ruthless one-eyed warlord Date Masamune, the “One-Eyed Dragon”, as a…
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One of Japan’s Three Great Gardens
Kōraku-en is gorgeous Japanese garden located near Okayama Castle in Okayama City, Japan. It is considered one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, alongside Kenroku-en in Kanazawa and Kairaku-en in Mito. It is a place where visitors can enjoy the timeless beauty of traditional Japanese garden design, offering a very peaceful retreat near the heart of Okayama. Kōraku-en Okayama was designed during the Edo period and was originally a place for the lords of the domain to relax and entertain guests. The gardens have a beautiful, expansive landscape with ponds, walking paths, rolling hills,carefully designed plantings,…
Exploring Okayama’s Crow Castle: A Journey Through Time and Culture
While in Okayama, a visit to its castle was a must. The castle’s exterior, made of wooden panels painted with black lacquer, earned it the nickname “Crow Castle.” Built in 1597, it survived centuries of history before being taken over by the Ministry of War in 1869, when many of its structures were dismantled and the moats filled in as part of modernisation efforts. In 1945, during World War II, it was heavily damaged by Allied air raids, and restoration followed in 1966. The historic six-level structure narrows as it rises, with each level featuring…
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