The Japanese Garden in Takasuna Ryokuchi (高砂緑地)

The three-storied pagoda at the Japanese garden in Takasuna Ryokuchi

Entrance to the Japanese garden

The Japanese garden in Takasuna Ryokuchi (高砂緑地) is located just 200 meters south of Chigasaki Station in Kanagawa Prefecture.  It opened in 1992 on Culture Day and features a traditional chashitsu (tea house) named Shouraian (松籟庵).  This was made possible by a donation from Kohachi Iwata (1922–2012), the founder of the Nagasakiya supermarket chain, who lived in Chigasaki.

The garden is home to around 50 Japanese plum trees and is one of the top spots in Chigasaki for viewing plum blossoms.

Every February, the garden hosts the Ume Matsuri (梅まつり), or Japanese Plum Festival, celebrating the arrival of the plum blossoms.

Operating Hours:

• 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Shouraian open until 4:30 PM)
• Closed on Mondays (or the next weekday if Monday is a holiday)
• Closed from December 29 to January 3

Next to the garden are the remnants of the entrance and walls of a villa, originally built in 1931 by Yasusaburo Hara (1884–1982), the third president of Nihon Kayaku, which once stood on the site.

Climbing the stairs along the remaining walls leads to the Chigasaki City Museum of Art.

Chigasaki City Museum of Art