Kenroku-en, Kanazawa

Kenroku-en, located in the city of Kanazawa, Japan, stands as one of the country's most beautiful and significant historical gardens. This expansive park, which translates to "Garden of the Six Sublimities," embodies the traditional attributes of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water courses, and panoramas. Established during the Edo period, Kenroku-en offers visitors a serene and picturesque escape, with its meticulously designed features that span over 11.4 hectares.

The garden was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the Maeda family, the feudal lords of the Kaga Clan. It was opened to the public in 1871 and has since been regarded as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Kenroku-en is known for its variety of trees, ponds, waterfalls, and flowers that change with the seasons, creating a different ambiance at each visit.

One of the park's most iconic features is the Kotoji-toro, a two-legged stone lantern that stands elegantly by the edge of the Kasumiga-ike pond, reflecting beautifully in the water and symbolizing the garden's harmonious blend of natural and man-made beauty. Another highlight is the oldest fountain in Japan, operated by natural water pressure from a higher elevation of the garden.

Visitors can also enjoy the unique yukitsuri, or snow hanging, which is a method used to protect the branches of the pine trees from heavy snowfall during the winter months. The sight of these ropes tied from the top of the trees to the lower branches in a conical shape is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.