Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu

In Ritsurin, Takamatsu has one of the most beautiful Japanese style gardens in the country. It's not huge, but compact in a good way. There are so many vantage points and angles that make for gorgeous photographs. That's not to understate its beauty. Any season and any weather is a good time to visit. The photo taken for this review was during a late summer rain. I highly recommend fall, but you can never go wrong with spring. There are small buildings that look over the pond, and I've had a couple very lovely breakfasts there. Call ahead to reserve a spot. You can also take part in a tea ceremony towards the central area.

What a great garden! This garden is must-go place in Japan. So huge that anyone couldn’t possibly walk around every spots. One of the most amazing thing is there are many hundred years old pine trees. They have been trimmed and nurished by the hands of masters who are specially trained for pine trees. I didn’t know that there are special people who treat only pine trees. They must be the special pine tree doctors. It’s well known that how much Japanese love pine trees and take care of them with love. You’ll see those magnificent shape of pine trees here in the garden. It could take a whole day to look around this place.