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Visit the historic garden and home of the Kamo family, and sample their botanical hospitality in Kakegawa City
Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Kamo Garden, located in the western side of Shizuoka Prefecture, has been the home of the Kamo family since the Azuchi-Moyama period (1568-1603). Stepping into this important part of Kakegawa City’s history, you will see the Kamoso residence, which dates back to the mid-Edo period (1600-1868) and was the home of the shoya, or village chief.
Stepping inside, the first thing you will notice are the thick beams made of wood cut from the owner’s forest. The old-fashioned fireplace, the main entrance that only people of high status were allowed to use, and the traditional gardens give you a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Japan of yore. You can also explore the iris garden and an exhibition greenhouse.
From the end of April to June, visitors can enjoy a bamboo leaf lunch box. The eye-catching meal features rice dyed yellow using gardenia, along with vegetables simmered in soy sauce and shoyu no mi (a salty mixture of dried vegetables, herbs, and fermented soy beans). Eat your seasonal lunch outside while enjoying the peaceful scenery.
Kamo Garden is also one of the leading hydrangea nurseries in Japan, so during the early summer, you can catch these sunset-hued blooms around the garden.
How to get there
Take the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station to Kakegawa Station (about 1 hour 30 minutes). Transfer to the Tenryu Hamanako Railway, get off at Harada Station, then walk 15 minutes to the destination.
110 Harasato, Kakegawa-shi, Shizuoka-ken
