Noike Park

Noike Park opened in 1873 as one of Japan's first three public parks, alongside Ueno in Tokyo and Arashiyama in Kyoto. Before it became a park, the site held a shrine to a water deity, and that shrine remains at the entrance, flanked by two large cedar trees and a torii gate. The central pond is fed by volcanic springs that keep the water at a consistent 12 to 13 degrees Celsius year-round, several degrees cooler than the surrounding lowland areas because of the park's elevation on the Kuju Plateau. The spring water is clear enough to see the bottom, and the pond supports a freshwater ecosystem shaped by that constant chill.