From early November, gardeners at Kenroku-en — one of Japan's three great landscape gardens — erect the distinctive cone-shaped rope structures called yukitsuri around the garden's most prized pine trees, particularly the 220-year-old Karasaki Pine, to prevent snow from breaking their branches. The installation of these structures is itself a televised event that signals the arrival of winter across Japan. When snow does fall, the contrast of pristine white on the rope-draped dark pines, reflected in the garden's ponds, is among the most iconic winter images in the country. Night illumination events in late November and early February allow visitors to see the garden and its yukitsuri glowing under floodlights.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Snow/Winter
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- November–March
- Region
- Chubu
- Prefecture
- Ishikawa
- City
- Kanazawa
Highlights
- ◆Iconic yukitsuri rope structures on centuries-old pine trees
- ◆Karasaki Pine — Japan's most famous snow-protected tree
- ◆Seasonal night illumination events in November and February
- ◆Snow-covered garden paths and reflective ponds in winter
- ◆Adjacent Kanazawa Castle Park equally beautiful in snow