SUMMARY
Replace the bridge at the south entrance, remove automobiles, plant a lawn in the southeastern courtyard, rebuild parapets, and make better use of the Inner Moat.
Aerial photograph of Ujo-koen, with suggested improvements (click image to enlarge):
DESCRIPTION
There are a number of relatively inexpensive measures we can take to make Ujo-koen even more beautiful than it already is.
1. Plant a lawn in the southeast section of the park
Until recently, this area was occupied by tennis courts. It is now mostly covered with weeds:
Given that the tennis courts were so recently removed, it is likely that the city is already planning something for this site. Still, allow me to suggest that the most ideal use of this space might be for a simple lawn. Surrounded by trees and with a lovely view of the Fumei-mon (at the left of the next photo) and southern castle walls, this lawn would no doubt be a popular place for picnickers.Here's what this courtyard looks like today (July 2008):
For contrast, let's look at the lawn of the Prefectural Library, located just over the moat...
The library lawn is a big hit with families, and a similar lawn on the castle grounds would no doubt be even more popular.
There are already a few cherry trees on the south side of this courtyard, overlooking the moat:
Adding a few more would complete a nice circle of cherry trees around the lawn, as at Komaba Koen in Meguro-ku, Tokyo:
Unlike tennis courts, a lawn is an aesthetically and functionally appropriate neighbor for our castle, one that will allow more people to enjoy the castle more often. Let's not replace the old tennis courts with a new sports facility or any new buildings, but with a simple grass lawn that everyone can use.
2. Build a more stately south entrance
The bridge at the south entrance to Ujo-koen is not up to the aesthetic standard of this setting, and the entrance has no gate. As one recent visitor to Okayama noted on his travel blog, "Doesn't look much like a castle, does it?":
Next to the beauty of this swan, the bridge railings are ugly indeed!
Clearly the bridge does not do justice to the lovely moat either:
Let's look at a couple of bridges of comparable size that could serve as models.
First, the bridge at the entrance to Himeji castle (note the gentle slope and the handsome gate on the castle side):
Here's another pleasing bridge with a gate, though this one would be too small for the park's maintenance vehicles to get through:
A bridge and gate like the ones above would make a huge improvement to the castle's external appearance.
3. Restore the parapets that surmount the castle walls
A few sections of the castle walls still have their traditional tile-capped parapets, but in other places these have been replaced by plain walls. We have a good opportunity here to upgrade the castle by restoring these parapets to their original appearance.
This picture shows a section of the castle wall near Tsukimi-yagura where a restored section and an unrestored section meet:
Here are some pictures of unrestored sections, along with some historical information on these walls:
4. Replace benches and signs of inappropriate design, and eliminate improper uses of this space
Let's replace aluminum benches...
with wooden or stone benches:
Let's not allow people to use the castle grounds as a parking lot:
This garbage enclosure lies just behind the main (south) entrance to the park. They've actually used the historic castle walls as part of the enclosure:
This handsome wooden sign directly beneath Tsukimi-yagura...
...is obscured by this garish aluminum one:
Compare this sign at the main entrance to Ujo-koen...
...with these signs at the main entrance to Korakuen:
5. Leave empty the property between Tsukimi-bashi and the Inner Moat
This property recently became clear when an old ryokan was torn down. The result is that there is a clear view of Tsukimi-bashi from the southern end of the moat. Assuming Tsukimi-bashi is replaced by a handsome traditional-style bridge, this unobstructed view will enhance the beauty of the moat and be a significant asset for the south side of the castle.
Here's the view across the moat to Tsukimi-bashi, passing directly through the empty property:
Here's the view from the opposite direction:
Here's an aerial photograph of this sight line (the empty lot is highlighted in red; the Uchisange Kindergarten is underneath the lower part of the blue triangle):
Here's a closeup on the empty lot:
Let's keep this empty lot empty.
6. Take advantage of the moat frontage of the Ujo-koen parking lot
The official public parking lot for Ujo-koen lies at the southwest corner of the Inner Moat. It has a panoramic view over the castle and an unobstructed view of Tsukimi-bashi:
As you can see in the previous picture, the parking spaces abut directly against the moat. We should move the parking back another 1-2 meters and build a simple path with benches so that people can enjoy this panoramic view.
7. Why not nick-name the two sections of the moat "Swan Moat” and “Turtle Moat”?
The Inner Moat is divided in two by the bridge at the south entrance to the castle. Swans live in the West half of the moat, turtles in the East half. While we should still retain the historical name "Inner Moat," we can add some charm to this part of the castle (and attract more attention from tourists) by nick-naming each half of the moat for its aquatic inhabitants.
Swan Moat (there's that hospital again!)
Turtle Moat (you can sometimes see turtles sleeping in this shelter, but not when I took this picture):
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