Near the centre of Nagoya City you can find the Orchid Gardens.Its an Indian sandstone building with about 250 species or 20,000 South Asian orchids on display in a large atrium.The guide book states the ceiling of the atrium is modelled on the old London Crystal Palace.
Attached to the building which contains a shop and restaurant is a large courtyard and garden area.The courtyard has Roman type pillars and terra cotta pots.
The garden is pretty bleak at the moment but comes complete with a large expanse of lawn and small pond.I'm sure together with the courtyard its a popular spot in summer.
As for the orchids themselves I'm no expert so I was suitably impressed by the variety and colors on display.Pride of place was reserved for a specimen named after Princess Kiko.The plant gained nation wide publicity when it flowered on the same day as the Imperial Family announced Princess Kiko's pregnancy.
Aichi Prefecture is the primary producer of orchids in Japan which seems to be the reason for the building and orchids being in Nagoya.Entry is 700 yen for an adult and the place is closed each Wednesday.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment