Koishikawa Korakuen is a city-managed Japanese garden, in the Korakuen area of Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. The garden was constructed in the early Edo area, and has been state-registered as a special historical heritage site, and scenic spot since 1952. Out of all city-managed gardens, this and the Hamarikyu Gardens are the only ones to receive both designations. Koishikawa Korakuen garden is also said to be the oldest of all Japanese gardens in Tokyo.
The garden is composed around a central pond, and visitors are intended to enjoy the change in scenery as they walk the trail around it. This Japanese garden is also characterized by the names of its sceneries, many of which have taken influence from famous locations in China. Look at the way the garden expresses Japan’s many beautiful sceneries of lakes, mountains, rivers and rice fields!
This massive Japanese garden with an area of over 70,000m2, displays a different beauty at every turn of the season with a colorful diorama of plum trees, cherry blossoms, azalea and irises that surround the pond.
The land on which Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens sits today first belonged to Tokugawa Yorifusa, the founder of the Mito branch (present day Ibaraki prefecture) of the ruling Tokugawa Clan. His son, Mitsukuni, completed the construction of the residence and garden in 1629. Mitsukuni conceptualized Confucian teachings when planning this garden, taking inspiration from important Chinese Confucian scholars and their sayings. In fact, the name of the garden, “Korakuen”, derives from a quote from a book by Fan Zhongyan, a scholar from the Song Dynasty of ancient China.
The weeping cherry tree, or shidare-zakura in Japanese, can be found right as you enter the garden. This particular tree is over 60 years old, and boasts a charming pink scene in the spring.
The pond in the center of the garden is the Daisensui. Inspired by Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, the pond plays the role of the main attraction in the gardens. The man-made island, named Horai-jima, and the rocks in the pond coordinate well with the surrounding atmosphere to create graceful scenery. In its earlier days, the pond was used for sailing as well.
To the north of the pond is Shorozan, a hill resembling Mount Lu (Lushan) in China. Ruscus leaf bamboos cover the round man-made hill. From the top of the hill is a breathtaking view of the entire garden.
The capacious stream running towards the western side of the park is the Oi-gawa river. The Oi-gawa River is a real river in Kyoto prefecture, and the one here is a smaller replica of the original. The water in it used to be pulled straight from Kanda Aqueduct.
The bridge arching over the Oi-gawa River is Engetsukyo. Confucian scholar Zhu Zhiyu, who Mitsunari greatly welcomed and endeared, planned the design of the bridge. The name of the bridge translates to “Round Moon”, since the bridge and its reflection in the river connects to form a full moon.
The inner garden, or "naitei", sits at the southern end of the garden. While the garden was under Tokugawa possession, the naitei was a separate facility from the rest of the garden. This area was used as a private cram school during the Tokugawa days.
At the very eastern end of the garden is the rice paddy, or inada. The rice paddy area has an abundance of plum trees, irises and wisterias. Mitsukuni decided to place a rice paddy within his garden grounds to teach his wife and child the hardships of farming and peasant life.
Koishikawa Korakuen Garden has approximately 90 plum trees of 35 types, which reach their prime season around late February to early March. Tokugawa Mitsukuni who was responsible for the completion of this garden, is said to have loved plum trees so much that he took on the pseudonym "Bairi" (梅里 = land of plums) when he took part in creative activities such as calligraphy and painting.
The Fall Foliage Festival will have you feeling fall with every single one of your senses. Autumn in Japan is already stunning to begin with, but it is exceptional at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese garden supporting the fall foliage scenery. From the end of November to the beginning of December the gardens will be adorned in autumn hues.
To prevent snow from weighing the trees branches down, yuki-tsuri are placed over the trees. Yuki-tsuri ropes carefully situate on the trees, and resemble an empty Christmas tree. During the winter months, you can see the trees in Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese technology, yuki-tsuri over them.
As of today, we all have a role to play in supporting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), a significant global initiative. The United Nations set these goals in 2015 to promote sustainability and protect the planet. Transportation is a key instrument in achieving the goals. It impacts a wide range of matters, such as health, pollution, energy, and economic growth.
The role played by these goals will have a fundamental meaning in achieving the implementation of all measures for sustainable transportation infrastructure with a CO2 emission reduction of 50% by 2050, as stated by the United Nations.
Looking at the statistics, it appears that the
“Railway energy efficiency has doubled since 1975. Electrification has expanded to cover one-third of the global network and powers almost 45% of all rail activity. Rail companies are choosing to invest directly in renewable energy, which now powers more than 20% of electric-powered trains”
- MOBILIZING for DEVELOPMENT Analysis and Policy Recommendations from the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport, available online, p. 35
It is clear that technology significantly impacts all areas of sustainable development and can play an essential role in achieving the goals. New technologies can support sustainable solutions throughout several global angles:
Socially, advanced technology can guarantee better safety, public transport, and increasing affordability. It can make transport more accessible for people with disabilities or the elderly.
Environmentally, technology offers new and enhanced opportunities for a cleaner, more climate-friendly transport system, and less pollution.
Economically, an increase in the efficiency of transport technology results in economic growth through cost-cutting and waste-cutting.
At this stage, it is critical to work together. Investors and decision-makers are expected to create a coworking environment where technological innovations have space to develop and integrate into society strategically. This potential outcome must be drawn over a long-term plan nourished by a futuristic vision and sensitive emphasis on the present moment, where the need for actions around environmental sustainability is stronger than ever before.
We all aim for a better world. We all need significant changes in front of the dramatic degradation affecting our planet. In front of the evidence, mankind has finally developed a much deeper awareness, which is why digital transformation aims to efficiently drive the transportation industry to a new fully sustainable era.
“The answer to these problems is not less transport - it is a sustainable transport. We need more systems that are environmentally friendly, affordable and accessible”
Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
External References:
Rusul Abduljabbar, Hussein Dia, Sohani Liyanage and Saeed Asadi Bagloee Department of Civil and Construction Engineering; Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia, 2019.
The Fourth Wave of Digitalization and Public Transport: Opportunities and Challenges Paul Davidsson, Banafsheh Hajinasab, Johan Holmgren, Åse Jevinger and Jan A. Persson Internet of Things and People Research Center, K2—The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport, Department of Computer Science, Malmö University, Malmö 20506, Sweden, 2016.
Mariah Venice Afable, Sustainable transport solutions - Mobilizing the world’s sustainability goals, Bold Business Magazine, January 2019.
Transportation Industry Matrix, United Nations and KPMG, 2016.
MOBILIZING for DEVELOPMENT Analysis and Policy Recommendations from the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport, available online
Sustainable Transport Data Collection and Application: China Urban Transport Database, Tian Jiang, Zhongyi Wu, Yu Song, Xianglong Liu, Haode Liu, and Haozhi Zhang, China Urban Sustainable Transport Research Center, China Academy of
