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Kairakuen Park
Nationally famous as a plum park, Kairakuen Park is one of the
three great parks of Japan,the other two being Kenrokuen Park
in Kanazawa and Korakuen Park in Okayama.
This Park was created in 1841 by the ninth Mito Clean Lord Nariaki
Tokugawa. Its name means that the park is not only for the enjoyment
of the Clean lord but also for the common people.
This 13-hectare park has 3,000 plum trees of 100 varieties and
with the coming of Spring, attracts crowds of plum blossom viewers.
The park also flowers in Summer with azaleas and in Autumn with
Japanese bush clover.
The Kobuntei Villa nestled among the cedars and bamboos on the
west side of the park was used for the Clan lord's relaxation
and for poetry meetings to which writers and artists were invited.
It has a plain but distinctive atmosphere. From the three-story
Rakujuro Belvedere you can see the whole park, while directly
below lies Lake Senba.
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