What is "kairaku-en"

(English: "A park to be enjoyed together") is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Kairakuen was built relatively recently in the year 1841 by the local lord Tokugawa Nariaki. Unlike Japan's other two great landscape gardens Kenrokuen and Kōrakuen, Kairakuen served not only for the enjoyment of the ruling lord, but was open to the public. While worth a visit throughout the year, Kairakuen is most attractive during the plum blossom season, which usually takes place in late February and March. Besides the plum tree forest, where one hundred different plum tree varieties with white, pink and red blossoms are planted, Kairakuen also features a bamboo grove, cedar woods and the Kobuntei, a traditional Japanese style building. While entry to the park is free, entry into the Kobuntei costs 190 yen. Tokiwa Jinja is adjacent to the gardens.