AKASAKA RIKIU GARDEN. This extensive garden, now a part of the Imperial Palace at Akasaka, was originally the property of the lords of Kishiu, by whom it was known as the Tei-En. Designed on a scale of almost natural grandeur, high wooded hills and wide shady valleys take the place of the shrub-clad hillocks and depressions of ordinary landscape gardens. The Shogun Iyenari was an enthusiastic admirer of its splendid scenery, and honoured it with frequent visits in the summer season. In those day, aviaries of peacocks, golden pheasants, storks, and other rare birds lined the approach leading to the reception hall. In front of this building were arranged beds containing many varieties of chrysanthemums, and the displays of this autumn flower still continue to be one of the chief sights of these Imperial grounds. Near the hall is a two-storied building the upper galleries of which afford, in one direction, a fine prospect of the green and red foliage of the majestic pine and maple trees of the garden, and in the other an uninterrupted view of the blue bay of Shinagawa, dotted with white sails.
