VENUES

Shurakuen is an excursion-type garden with a spring-fed pond, registered as a national scenic beauty. It was built by Nagatsugu Mori, the second head of the Tsuyama clan, who invited a garden designer from Kyoto for this purpose. It bears a strong resemblance to the garden of the Sento Imperial Palace on the grounds of the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. A sophisticated esthetic can be sensed in the layout of islands, the beauty of the island reflections in the water, and the leaves and branches of the trees, which change with the season.