Among the many types of bridges used in the Japanese gardens, my favorite is yatsuhashi, for aspect, for how it looks inside the garden and for the pleasure it gives when you cross it.

Yatsuhashi can be translated as “eight bridges", because it is built from 8 wooden planks. Usually, these planks are placed in zigzag over the water of a marsh or a shallow pond, where irises are grown, in this way reproducing a scene described in Ise Monogatari (The Tales of Ise).

Here is the most beautiful yatsuhashi I have found until now, from the Korakuen Garden, Okayama.

Yatsuhashi, Koraku-en Garden, Okayama

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Shinto Shrines, Gohei