Okayama Korakuen

Korakuen, Okayama, isn't so much a garden as a gentle stroll through time. Its expansive lawns offer a rare breathtaking space in a Japanese garden, allowing visitors to escape the hectic pace of the city. Once designed as a garden, rice paddies and tea plantations create a canvas for experimenting with nature.

Walking through winding paths, wooden bridges, and flowing water, each bend offers a different perspective: Okayama Castle in the distance, the Sanchi Mountains behind. Embracing the concept of borrowed scenery, the city and mountains serve as frames, evoking a dialogue between vegetation and water.

Teahouses within the garden, such as Enyōtei and the Kagura stage, known as the Noh stage, are not merely places for rest but also bridges between culture and landscape. The fragrance of tea interweaves with the light and shadow of the garden, transforming a stroll into a spiritual ritual.

For me, Korakuen's most special feature is its balance between "white space and rhythm." Its vast expanse of lawn and flowing water creates not only a visual pause but also a psychological comfort: you can stroll along the paths or simply sit on the grass, feeling like you've found a vast heartbeat buffer in the city.

It's not a sealed monument, but a living poem of the seasons: spring cherry blossoms, summer hydrangeas, autumn maples, and winter plum blossoms alternate, and every step feels like turning a page in a poetic movement. Through the gentle meandering of the stream and the gently sloping lawn, Korakuen reminds you that landscape is not just about seeing, but about breathing and resonating with nature.

Post by Andy05x | Aug 4, 2025