Kenrokuen, One of the Top 3 Gardens in Japan

Kenrokuen (兼六園) is one of the top 3 gardens in Japan that offers beautiful scenery and peaceful time for those visiting.

Located in Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture, it is visited by many tourists both within Japan and outside of Japan. With Hokuriku shinkansen establisehd in 2015, Kanazawa is now only 2.5 hours away from Tokyo!

How about a weekend getaway to a beautifully designed Japanese garden?

Kenroku-en

Photo by Greg Palmer

There are many things that you shouldn’t miss when you visit Kenrokuen and pine trees are one of them. There are around 800 pine trees planted along the water. The black pine trees’ branches spread out more and definitely have presence within Kenrokuen garden.

金澤兼六園

Photo by Ming-yen Hsu

As winter approaches in early November, snow hanging work (雪吊り作業) starts in Kenrokuen and is a seasonal traditional. This helps to support the branches against the weight of the snow during winter time. The unique cone shaped silhouette reflecting on the water is very beautiful and worth seeing.

雪吊り / Snow hanging

Photo by Kentaro Ohno

In Kenrokuen, there are two tea rooms that expand onto the water. Take a break at one of the rooms and enjoy green tea and some traditional Japanese food overlooking the water. 

兼六園

Photo by Thomas Au

兼六園

Photo by Thomas Au

兼六園

Photo by Thomas Au

Stone made lantern is also a symbol of Kenrokuen garden and will be a great photo shoot location with the pond in the background.

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Photo by bryan…

At Kenrokuen, you can certainly appreciate the beauty of four seasons, staring with cherry blossoms blooming in April. 

兼六園.樱

Photo by Perry Li

You can enjoy a kind called Kiku-zakura (菊桜) planted at upper stream of Chirosebashi bridge. The special characteristic of kiku-zakura is that it changes color three times from the start of blooming until it falls. You can view this beautiful cherry blossom from late April through early May.

IMG_9022

Photo by Kimon Berlin

 

After cherry blossoms are over, there will be over 40,000 irises blooming in May. Enjoy the vivid purple color that blends in perfectly with other trees and plants.

金澤兼六園

Photo by Ming-yen Hsu

Starting in early November, leaves will start to color and by late November until early December, you can surround yourself with beautiful autumn foliage. 

金澤 兼六園

Photo by Jiashiang

Kenrokuen is unique in a sense that winter time is one of the popular seasons for tourists. As mentioned above, the snow hanging work over the pine trees are a seasonal tradition and attracts many people. Come and visit a tranquil Kenrokuen covered in white snow.

Snowy Kenroku-en park

Photo by pelican

Hop on a bullet train with your JR pass and experience the beauty of Kenrokuen throughout the year. 

Interested in capturing your trip to Kenrokuen?

Book vacation photo with KoKoRoGraphy today!