In the center of the Japanese garden of the Kyu-Furukawa Garden is the Shinji Pond, which you can walk around in a circle

Path in Kyu-Furukawa Gardens — Kyu-Furukawa Gardens

The rose garden is located down a flight of stairs next to a Western-style house that was built as a baron's residence in the olden days. The rose garden, which is neatly maintained in a Western-style, matches the atmosphere of the mansion. However, the scenery changes drastically as one descends further down the stairs from the rose garden. The Western taste has faded away, and Japanese-style stone lanterns stand in the garden. The heart of the garden is Shinji Pond, with a steeply sloping waterfall, a Karesansui (dry landscape garden) waterfall, and a large Yukimi lantern. While the residence of the former Furukawa Garden in Nishigahara, Tokyo, is a perfect Western-style building, the garden is a blend of Japanese and Western styles, with a Western-style section planted with roses and a Japanese-style section of a garden with a pond and a circular garden next to each other.

Unlike the former Iwasaki Garden built by Hisaya Iwasaki of the Mitsubishi, the mansion built by Toranosuke Furukawa of the Furukawa has no part built in the Japanese style; everything is in the western style. The Furukawa family members spent their time in the Western style, both in the spaces for entertaining guests and in their private areas. This Western-style house was built in 1919. It must have been normal for the wealthy people of that time to lead a Western-style life. Nevertheless, the garden has a Japanese style. Why is this? Was a Japanese-style garden necessary for the tea ceremony?

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