JAPAN TRAVEL GUIDE

　The Front Gate
　The original front gate remains and is made completely of zelkova wood. The roof tiles bear the official crest of the Kodera house: a stylized bird's nest or sliced melon inside a hut (iori-mokko).








　Wash basin
　Wash basin is sybolizing purification.


　Houseboat (Important Cultural Property)
　This houseboat (Kawagozabune) was originally used for pleasure cruises by a feudal lord of Himeji, and is thought to have been constructed between 1682 and 1704.
　The boat was reconstructed at its present site in 1980. The structure consisits of a two-story wooden building with a gabled roof thatched with layers of Japanese cypress bark. All of the wooden sections of the building have been treated with lacquer and the ends of the horizontal beams and rafters are decorated with gold leaf. The building is highly ragarded for its delicately decorative styling. This is the last 'Kawagozabune' in existence.






　Pond and Stream
　The gourd-shaped pond is a renovated reservoir and the stream represents on a small scale a river's path from its mountain source to the ocean.


　Lanterns
　There are 27 traditional stone lanterns of various styles on display, including a unique lantern that looks like the face of a die.




　Large Camphor Trees
　These trees, said to have been planted by Araki Murashige at Hanakuma Castle in 1567 to ward off calamity, are known for the camphor they contain and their exceptionally long life.






　Maple tree
　The early-April greens and late-November reds of the maples lend vibrant color to the landscape.






　Pine tree
　Pine trees have long been prized for their divine symbolism.


　The Kodera Stable (Important Cultural Property)
　Kenichi Kodera, the former Mayor of Kobe and former owner of Sorakuen , had this stable constructed aroud 1920. The building has many interesting features, including a circular cupola, a steep roof, dormer windows, and rich gable ornaments. The building, which was constructed in the shape of an L, includes a garage for carriage in the northern part of the first floor, and housing for stable hands on the second floor. A high-ceiling stairwell and the stables proper occupy the eastern side of the building.


　The Hassam House (Importnat Cultural Property)
　Built aroud 1902, this house served as the residence of Mr. K. Hassam, an Anglo-Indian trader, its architecture an example of East-West fusion. The house originally stood in the Kitano-cho area of Kobe, but was moved to its present location in 1963 after being donated to the city government.
　its two gas lamps were some of the earliest senn in Japan, originally seving as street lamps in the Old Foreign Settlement district. A chimney that fell from the roof during the Great Hanshin Earthquake is displayed in the front yard.