Sourakuen Garden

When I stayed at Maiko Villa Kobe with my parents and brother’s family, I found a nice guide book of Kobe at the room. It introduced some small events in Kobe which only local inhabitants knew. In the guide book I found an excellent event held in Sorakuen of a municipal park. It is very rare, for a municipal park is a hilly-​pond traditional Japanese garden. It is like a garden of a temple in Kyoto. Stepping stones, a stone bridge, or a simple pavilion called Azumaya, it has tasteful atmosphere.
I have never been here, but had an unforgettable memory here. This large garden has a wide lawn square where a shadow show of Java was carried out on only one day in the latter half of summer. A shadow show of Java is famous and I also knew merely its existence. There were some young female viewers in Yukata clad. A man of Java played a shadow show in his mother tongue, which I didn’t understand. However I guessed its story from the movement of the paper dolls. It was conducted about three or four hours successively, but in Java all night long! It is carried out near the beach, and the audience stays up all night and enjoys a play. Everywhere candles were spotted, which was so fantastic and romantic!
Admission fee is only 300 yen. Of course I didn’t pay watching the show. It was included in the admission fee. Very reasonable! I had a very fun time here. You should come here on the day of illuminated garden. Please check out on the web site about the detail schedule.