🗺️ Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden

Dr. Tomitaro Makino, hailed as the "Father of Japanese Botany," was born in Kochi Prefecture and is a world-renowned botanist. To honor his contributions to botany, Kochi Prefecture established the Kochi Prefectural Makino Botanical Garden in April 1958, the year after his passing, at Mount Godai. The botanical garden is located at Mount Godai in Kochi City, a scenic area surrounded by the Kochi Plain, rich in natural beauty and steeped in history. Covering an area of approximately 8 hectares, the garden is home to over 3,000 species of plants, including many wild plants that have a deep connection to Dr. Makino. With the changing seasons, a variety of flowers, grasses, and trees come into bloom, filling the garden with vitality throughout the year and showcasing a vibrant and colorful landscape. Some of the plants are endemic species of Japan. Most of the collected plants in the garden are clearly labeled with their collection locations, making them not only objects for viewing and observation but also "living specimens" that provide important information for botanical research. Here, you will encounter many plants that you may have never seen before. The southern section of the botanical garden features a restaurant where you can enjoy desserts and coffee after a tiring stroll, surrounded by the natural landscape of flowers, grasses, and trees. It's a perfect place to spend a leisurely and relaxing day in a healing green space.

With over 3,000 species of plants, you can see beautiful flowers, grasses, and trees throughout the four seasons. There are many indoor facilities, including greenhouses, so you can enjoy yourself even on rainy days. There is also a square where you can enjoy picnics. From the observation deck at "Konkon Mountain Square (こんこん山広場)," you can overlook the cityscape of Kochi, and on clear days, you can even see the Pacific Ocean in the distance. The botanical garden regularly holds nighttime events, and the garden has a unique charm when illuminated.