One of the main attractions of the Kaiyu type (scenic promenade) Japanese gardens are the tea houses. Other interesting constructions that can be admired in some of these gardens are the “rest houses", places where the garden’s lord was entertaining the most important guests.

Here is the rest house of the Korakuen garden from Okayama, called Ryuten, an architectural jewel that escaped untouched by 1945 bombings and it looks today exactly as it was during the Edo Period.
Reflecting an architectural style rarely seen in Japan, without any walls, crossed in the middle by a stream and decorated with rocks (you can also see here an interior view), the first floor of this exceptional house is inside and outside at the same time…

Korakuen Garden, Okayama

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Tokyo Sky Tree’s giant shadow