Kairakuen and Senba Lake - Mito, Ibaraki
Kairakuen「偕楽園」 "One of Three Great Gardens of Japan" 偕楽園 (Kairakuen) means: "The ancients would share the pleasures with people so their pleasures would be hearty and deep." (from The Book of Mencius). Founded by 徳川斉昭 (Tokugawa Nariaki) as the ninth feudal lord of the Mito Clan; he wanted a place for all people (feudal lords, feudal warriors, and the commoners of Mito) to go and relax while basking in nature's beauty after a stressful day. Located in the park is the: Japanese plum trees, azaleas, bamboo forest, and cedar forest. 梅の木 (ume no ki => Japanese plum tree) originates as the Chinese apricot tree which was for many years the tree for nobility garden viewing in Ancient Japan. Ume trees bloom in various colors during 春季節 (haru kisetsu => spring season). The petal colors range from pure white, white-pink, pure pink, crimson-pink, or a deep-red crimson. While similar to 桜の木 (Sakura trees) for petal blossoms, the branches are rigid and smaller in size
