Japanese garden in Moscow

The Japanese Garden in Moscow occupies the north-eastern corner of the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is considered the first traditional Japanese garden built on Soviet soil. Designed from 1978 by Japanese landscape architect Ken Nakajima, it opened in 1987 as a gift from Japan to the USSR. Across roughly two hectares Nakajima combined Edo-period elements: Japanese basalt stone lanterns, a thirteen-storey pagoda, a pond with stepping-stone bridges, a karesansui-style raked gravel fan and pines pruned into wave forms. Sakura cherries bloom in May, Japanese maples turn red in autumn. Open mid-April to late October for an admission fee and closed in winter. Reached via Vladykino or Botanichesky Sad metro stations.