Sankeien Garden — 175,000㎡ Traditional Japanese Garden

Sankeien Garden (三溪園) is a sprawling 175,000-square-meter traditional Japanese garden created by silk merchant Tomitaro Hara (Sankei) in 1906. The garden features historic buildings relocated from Kyoto, Kamakura, and Wakayama — including a three-story pagoda from 1457, tea houses, and a 17th-century farmhouse — all arranged around ponds, hills, and seasonal plantings that create different atmospheres throughout the year.

The garden's design follows classical strolling garden (回遊式庭園, kaiyushiki teien) principles, where paths wind through varied landscapes revealing new vistas at each turn. Spring brings 600 cherry trees (late March–early April) and azaleas, summer sees lotus blooms on the ponds, autumn transforms 500+ maple trees into crimson canopy (mid-November), and winter offers plum blossoms (February) and snow-dusted landscapes. The pagoda visible across the pond is Sankeien's iconic image, photographed endlessly but never boring due to seasonal changes.