Official Residence Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet TOP
Official Residence A virtual tour of the former Kantei (Prime Minister's Official Residence)
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The Main Entrance > The Front Courtyard > The South Garden (1) > The South Garden (2)
The South Garden (1)
The Kantei's oasis announcing the changes in the seasons
The South Garden at the time of completion
The South Garden at the time of completion
Photo No.1 View of the Kantei from the South Garden Photo No.2 Goyo-matsu (Pinus parviflora) Photo No.3 The Antarctic Rock
Photo No.4 The South Garden at the time of completion    
From the veranda of the Large Dinning Room, you could look out over the Kantei's wide and grassy South Garden.

When a ceremonial evening banquet was held to celebrate Emperor Showa's accession to the throne (December 1928), a special stage was erected in the South Garden for the Music Department of the Imperial Household Ministry to play court music and perform graceful Japanese dance. During the turmoil before the end of World War II, the South Garden was turned into a sweet-potato patch. During certain periods after the war, celebrities and sports stars used to be invited to garden parties held in the South Garden. In 1961, Yokozuna (Sumo Grand Champion) Chiyonoyama performed the ring-entering ceremony on the lawn to celebrate the formation of the second Kishi Cabinet.

In the trees surrounding the Garden, you could see the powerful branches of the Goyo-matsu (Pinus parviflora), presented to former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato by the lyricist Saijyo Yaso, and a piece of Antarctic rock lying quietly under the trees.

The rows of trees in the South Garden surrounded and seemed to embrace the lawn, while small birds like bamboo partridges, buntings, Japanese white-eyes, titmice and bush warblers sang songs in the garden all year round. The birdsong and the sounds of insects from the Garden signaled the changes of the seasons to the staff both working in and bustling back and forth from the Kantei, providing a pleasant respite from the working day.
The Front Courtyard
The South Garden (2)
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