Autumn Colors in the Japanese Garden
Until the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), excursions to enjoy autumn vistas were a privileged activity only enjoyed by the aristocrats and select people of the upper class. As the culture and economy flourished, led by the emergence of successful merchants and their ways of life, the privileged tradition came to be enjoyed by the common people. The popularity of the tradition exploded when great locations for autumn foliage viewing started to be included in guide books during the travel boom that occurred in Japan thereafter.
Surrounded by the outer moats of the Edo Castle spanning a history of 400 years, the Japanese garden at Hotel New Otani Tokyo is home to around 40 maple trees of various types that are vivid in colors of red, gold, and orange during fall. The Japanese garden is landscaped with paths over and around the Seisen Pond where approximately 350 red and black carps swim underneath the floating autumn leaves. In the evening, the trees are illuminated into a mesmerizing ambience, projecting reflections on to the waters as if dancing to the night.
On the same land that once housed residences of historical Japanese figures as Kiyomasa Kato and the Ii family during the Edo period, the Japanese garden of Hotel New Otani Tokyo is a bridge back in time that offers that same experience that people of the Edo period enjoyed and treasured as a privilege. Together with the beautiful scenery that nature and autumn brings, fine cuisine is offered at the restaurants within the Japanese garden as well as at the Garden Lounge that faces the garden.
