Oohori Koen is a park that surrounds an artificial lake that used to be part of the moat that protected Fukuoka Castle.
This nationally famous park was opened in 1929 and was modeled after the Xi Hi lake in China.
The air of the park gives a pleasent green breeze and pulls you away from the hassle and concrete sights of the city. It is amazing how easy you can forget that the city is just a few meters away.
You can get to the middle of the lake (photo above) by the means of several chinese inspired bridges. If you are in the right season you can also hire a small boat or other contraption to romantically explore the lake.
Thanks to the beautifull surroundings, the feeling of forgetting the city for a while and a pleasent 2.2 km path all around the lake, makes Ohori Park a magnet to joggers, Even though it can be crowded in the weekends it never once gave an unpleasent feeling.
Late at night, the view across the lake towards the floodlit Fukuoka Tower can be rather splendid. The park hosts a magnificent fireworks display in August and is a very poplair spot in the Cherry Blossom season…
Of the sights to enjoy are also the Art Museum and the Japanese garden.
The Japanese Garden was opened in 1984 to celebrate the 50’st birthday of the park.
Sand, stone and pinetrees give a nostalgic feeling of rural Japan in a modern and crowded city.
As last, there is a french restaurant named “Hana no Ki” if you feel like eating french in Japan….
This restaurant has a famous status due to the fact that it was visited by Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio in 1954. What also helps increasing the fame is that the restaurant serves excellent French food and is priced accordingly.
Credits :
Kawa Hiro for the top panorama image.
Zuiko Digital for the fireworks image.
localtimes
The Local Times 