By now you should know that I am completely in love with Tokyo and Japan in general. One of the things that's most enjoyable is that there are seemingly endless numbers of parks, gardens, and temples that act as little oasis in one of the most metropolitan areas in the world. These parks provide much needed respite to the city dwellers and are always packed with locals enjoying a lazy day or retirees taking their daily walk.
Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden is one of the least visited gardens in Tokyo (by tourists) but equally as enjoyable as any of the major gardens or parks. Construction on the garden was started in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the daimyo (feudal lord) of Mito han, and was completed by his successor, Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni named the garden "Kōraku-en" (Kōraku means "enjoying afterwards") after a Chinese proverb which states that "a governor should worry before people and enjoy after people". The garden still shows a strong Chinese influence in its design and is currently under improvement.
With 70,000-sq-metre of formal Japanese garden to explore, if you have the slightest interest in gardens you should make a beeline to Koishikawa. The garden is particularly well known for plum trees in February, irises in June and autumn colours. Of special note is the Engetsu-kyō (Full-Moon Bridge), which dates from the early Edo period. Kōrakuen means ‘the garden of later enjoyment’, which comes from a Chinese proverb about maintaining power first and enjoying it later – we assume this sounds better in Chinese.
