Farewell to Tokoen

The beautiful 400 year old garden Tokoen, about which I wrote an article several years ago has been demolished along with the traditional Japanese samurai residence that stood the tests of time and the destruction that came during WWII. The 700 square meter garden was closed permanently to visitors as of December 2013 as the land was sold to real estate developers. The previous owners of the garden cited difficulties in maintaining the property and low revenue from visitors.

This may be a cause for concern as historic sites around the country face a similar plight in attracting visitors. Hopefully the increase in international travellers to Japan will help reduce this trend.