Enchoen

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Investigado y escrito por Hinato

EnchoenChinese gardenLake TogoYurihamaHebei

Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · original

Tottori has a sister-province relationship with Hebei, and in 1995 it built the largest authentic Chinese garden in Japan on the shore of Lake Togo to mark it. Enchoen is imperial-style — the pavilions, roofs and painted galleries follow the conventions of the gardens around Beijing rather than the scholar gardens of the south — and the components were designed in China and assembled by Chinese craftsmen.

It is a genuinely odd thing to encounter beside a lake in San'in, and it is well done. The walk takes about an hour, there are Chinese costume rentals and regular acrobatic and instrument performances, and a roadside station attached to it. The lake outside has hot springs rising through its bed, so there is a free public foot bath a short walk away.

Información esencial

Horario

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Last entry 4:30 PM

Cerrado: Closed the fourth Tuesday of January and February, or the following day when it is a holiday

Entrada

¥500 high school students and above | ¥200 elementary and junior high school students | Group rates available

Mejor temporada

Year-round | Spring and autumn for the garden planting

Duración de la visita

60–90 minutes

Cómo llegar

Información de acceso

Yurihama, Tohaku District, on the shore of Lake Togo. Closed the fourth Tuesday of January and February, or the following day when it is a holiday. Admission ¥500 for high school students and above and ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students, with group rates of ¥450 and ¥180 for ten or more and ¥400 and ¥160 for twenty or more.

Guía privilegiada

**It is imperial style, not scholar style.** Painted galleries, heavy roofs and symmetry follow the Beijing convention rather than the Suzhou one. Knowing the difference makes the garden legible rather than merely large. **Only two closed days a year.** The fourth Tuesday of January and of February. Otherwise it is open every day. **Performances are scheduled.** Acrobatics and Chinese instrumental music run at set times; check the day's schedule on arrival rather than wandering in and out. **Costume rental exists and people use it.** Hire is available on site and is the main reason the garden fills at weekends. **Walk to the lake foot bath.** Lake Togo has hot springs rising in the lakebed and there is a free public foot bath on the shore nearby.

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