Hexagonal pavilion
On the pond island.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 663highland — CC BY 2.5 · Hiroki Ogawa — CC BY 3.0 · Solomon203 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Solomon203 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · そらみみ (Soramimi) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · そらみみ — CC BY-SA 4.0
A royal garden of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Naha, south of Shuri Castle, which is why it was also called the «Southern Garden». Completed in 1799, it served as a guest house for envoys of the Chinese emperor, and its design blends Chinese and Okinawan styles. At its heart is a pond shaped like the Chinese character for «heart», with a small island carrying a hexagonal Chinese-roofed pavilion, arched stone bridges, and on the shore the broad wooden residence under red tiles. The Ikutoku spring here grows a rare red alga listed as a national Natural Monument. The garden's Kankōdai lookout is said to have been placed so the sea cannot be seen from it, to make the Ryukyu Kingdom look larger to its guests. The war destroyed most of the buildings; they were rebuilt between 1975 and 1995, and in 2000 the garden joined the World Heritage List. It is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Tickets are about 400 yen, per visitor guides. City buses run from central Naha, and it is quiet compared with Shuri Castle.
On the pond island.
Arched over the water.
Under red tiles.
Maji, south of Shuri Castle, Naha
It is said to have been placed on purpose so the sea is hidden, to make the Ryukyu Kingdom look larger to Chinese envoys.
