Kyu-Furukawa Gardens

Utilizing the slopes of the Musashino plateau, a European-style brick building was built in the Taisho period on the low hill, a Western-style garden on the slope, and a Japanese garden on the low ground. Once a diplomatic residence for bureaucrats in the Meiji period, the building has already disappeared, and Dr. Josiah Conder designed the current European-style building along with the Western-style garden in 1917. Mr. Conder is a person who contributed a lot to Japanese architecture by designing the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden, Rokumei-kan, and Holy Resurrection Cathedral. The highlight of this garden are the roses in the garden harmonizing well with the European-style building, making it a beautiful like artwork. In the Japanese garden, the atmosphere is completely different from the Western-style garden. You can enjoy the view of the deep mountains in Japan while hearing the sound of the waterfall. Kyu-Furukawa Gardens was designated as a National Site of Scenic Beauty in 2006 for being one of the few gardens to retain the original form of the gardens from the early Taisho period, and also for being a great example of the fusion between traditional and modern techniques, and the culture of Japan and Europe. It's a seven-minute walk from JR Keihin-Tohoku Line Kami-nakazato Station.