Close to Iidabashi, Tokyo’s “French” district, and just a few stations away from Akihabara, there’s a hidden (but HUGE) park named Koishikawa Koraku-en.

Built in 1629 by Yorifusa and finished many years later by Mitsukimi, this park or private garden despite its Japanese style, follows many ideas from Shushunsui, a Chinese master of the Ming Dynasty.

Unlike many other parks, Koishikawa Koraku-en is one of Japans traditional treasures like the Golden Temple in Kyoto and also an amazing place all year for enjoy the cherry blossom season, autumn leaves and the rice growing season…

Even with the fee to enter the park, 300 Yen, I strongly advise you to check this place out. Make sure to bring along a camera since there are MANY things to shoot there, and be prepaired to spend the whole day enjoying the many faces and hidden treasures… There is no need fto worry about lunch, the park has some very traditional and basic catering services where you can purchase a “bento” to enjoy while sitting by the river that runs through the park.

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Note 1
This video was taken with a Canon 7D and its stock lens (15-85mm) and my 50mm and shot in 1080p30. So far I’m pretty disappointed by both the stock lens and camera. While the lens isn’t really an issue (you can always get a better one), the Moiré pattern on the 1.08 Firmware of the 7D is VERY annoying… If you take a closer look at the 1080p footage that you can download below (1.5GB), you’ll see at the beginning aliasing / artifacts on the red areas and on many edges (houses, roofs…). Canon assured use that a new firmware will be available the 19th that will fix many of these issues… but as it is, the 7D (1.08 Firmware) doesn’t keep up on its promises.

Note 2
This place is so BIG and there are so many things to shoot that I couldn’t do it at one time. Expect another video on Koishikawa Koraku-en in the coming weeks.