Momiji Park

Momiji Park (Momiji Koen) is a Japanese pond garden in the Higashihara-machi area of Yamagata City, known for its fall maples. It was once the garden of Hodo-ji, a Shingon Buddhist temple that stood on this site, and is now a public park. The park is open all year, and the Seifuso hall inside it has a tea room where you can join a tea gathering.

History of Momiji Park

The garden is a chisen kaiyu (pond-stroll) garden laid out around a heart-shaped pond. It took its present form in the early Edo period. At that time Matsudaira Tadahiro, the lord of Yamagata Castle, was rebuilding the castle's own garden. He is said to have sent surplus stones from the castle's Honmaru garden to Hodo-ji and to have planted maples brought from Yoshino, near Kyoto.

Seifuso, the hall beside the garden, was a temple building before the Meiji Restoration. It is now a branch of the Yamagata City Central Public Hall. It is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Fall colors at Momiji Park

About 190 trees are planted around the pond. In fall the maples turn red, orange and yellow against the dark green of the pines. The colors are usually best from early to mid-November. For dates elsewhere in the country, see the guide to where fall color peaks in Japan.

Visit Yamagata describes the garden as attractive in all four seasons, so it is still worth a short visit outside the foliage weeks.

Seifuso and the Hoko-an tea room

Seifuso holds Hoko-an, a tea house with several traditional rooms and a seating area for tea gatherings. If you are new to the ritual, read Japanese tea ceremony explained before you go.

A stone water basin (tsukubai) that belonged to Masuda Takashi, the founder of Mitsui & Co. and a noted tea master, is on display.

Casual tea gatherings called higama are held almost every day the building is open, but call ahead to confirm. A larger citizens' tea gathering takes place once a month, and the Donno tea gathering each spring draws tea masters from across Japan. The Visit Yamagata page on Seifuso lists the contact details.

How to get to Momiji Park

• On foot: about 30 minutes (2 kilometers) from JR Yamagata Station

• By Beni-chan bus: from Yamagata Station to the Seifuso / Momiji Koen-guchi stop, then about 4 minutes on foot

• By Yamako bus: to the Higashihara 3-chome stop, then about 5 minutes on foot

• By car: about 10 minutes from Yamagata Station

The park works well as a short stop on a longer northern trip. The complete Tohoku itinerary shows where Yamagata fits in a trip around the region.