Japanese Garden beauty, the Flying Geese Bridge from Kenroku-en

From the many attractions offered by the Kenroku-en Garden from Kanazawa, I recently presented the exquisite Kotoji lantern. Today, I would like to show you a very special bridge, Gankō-bashi - the Flying Geese Bridge. Made from 11 red andesite stones, the bridge was designed to look like a skein of geese (a flock of geese flying in formation). But the bridge also has an alternative name: because it resembles a row of aligned tortoises, it is also called the Tortoise Shell Bridge. And since in the Japanese mythology the tortoise is a symbol of longevity, it is said that crossing this bridge can bring you long life… Unfortunately the bridge is closed now, because the stones are deteriorated by overuse…

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Flying Geese Bridge, Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese mascots - Otosan, the SoftBank’s famous dog