See that path crossing the lake? That’s “Seiko-no-tsutsumi,” the West Lake Embankment. It’s a causeway named and modeled after China’s own West Lake. Across this embankment you will find “Nakajima,” Central Island – the heart of the lake.

Hmmm, this looks like a wise old tree. Let’s ask him about it!

“You called? I am Kuromatsu, the black pine.”

Pleasure to meet you! Could you tell us more about this causeway?

“The embankment? Of course. In China there is a lake in Hangzhou Province called West Lake. There, the poet Su Dongpo built an embankment named Su Di. West Lake is known for its beauty, and has been the subject of paintings and poetry since ancient times. Garden parks in Edo often took inspiration from that famous lake. This embankment is also one such example.”

I see, this park’s deeply connected to Chinese traditions. I take it that Nakajima’s the same way?

“That’s right. Nakajima features a stone arrangement imitation of China’s mythical Mount Penglai, the peak of eternal youth – it’s said if you eat the black fruit that grows there, you’ll become immortal. The fact that they built an island imitation of such a place here in the middle of a lake is intriguing, isn’t it?”

Sure is – Mount Penglai’s immortalized not only here but also in other Japanese gardens.

Now, let’s cross the causeway again and continue our stroll. Next, we’ll visit a rather intriguing set of stone arrangements.