Kenroku-en

Kenroku-en

Kenroku-en is a strolling garden and pond pavilion built by Maeda Tsunanori, the 5th lord of the Kaga Domain, located in central Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It covers a total area of 114,436.65 square meters. Along with Korakuen Garden in Ibaraki Prefecture and Korakuen Garden in Okayama Prefecture, it is one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens and a famous tourist destination.

It is said that Song Dynasty poet Li Gefei listed six ideal characteristics of a perfect garden in his “Record of Famous Gardens in Luoyang”: “grandness, seclusion, human artistry, antiquity, water features, and vistas.” Kenroku-en perfectly embodies all six, hence its name, which means “Garden of Six Sublimities.” As a strolling-style garden, Kenroku-en features not only cultural structures such as pavilions, terraces, towers, and gazebos, but also artificial landscapes including ponds, fountains, waterfalls, and streams. A variety of trees such as pines, maples, plums, and cherries, along with flowers like orchids, chrysanthemums, iris, and lawns, are planted throughout the garden. All these elements blend harmoniously to create poetic beauty in every season.

Designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government, Kenroku-en is particularly celebrated for its early spring plum blossoms and cherry blossoms from March to April, making it one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Ishikawa Prefecture and even across Japan.

Kenroku-en

Must-visit reason: One of Japan’s most important and prestigious gardens

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia【Asia】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Japan[Japan]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Ishikawa Prefecture [Ishikawa Prefecture]

City where the attraction is located: Kanazawa City [Kanazawa]