🌳 Japanese Garden of the Botanical Garden

A garden in the Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the traditional Japanese style, with a pond, stone lanterns, pavilions and little bridges.

The idea of the garden was proposed by the botanical garden's deputy director Pyotr Lapin and the Japanese ambassador Akira Shigemitsu; negotiations began in 1978.
The garden was designed by the Japanese master Ken Nakajima, who created Japanese gardens in many countries.
Nakajima and three assistants worked almost by hand: stones of 3–5 tonnes were set with a tripod and winch.
The stones were brought from Western Ukraine, since the rounded boulders of the Moscow region were not suitable for a Japanese garden.
The garden has a thirteen-tier pagoda and more than 100 plant species, including the momo maple from Hokkaido.
The sakura blooms here in May for about a week, and that is when the garden gets the most visitors.