Serre du jardin botanique de Higashiyama

Built in 1937 when the Higashiyama Botanical Garden first opened, this metal-framed greenhouse is now the oldest Japanese greenhouse still standing. Its striking architecture earned it, at the time, the nickname 'Crystal Palace of the Orient,' a direct nod to the Victorian masterpiece in London. It still shelters about ten palm species planted at its inauguration, living witnesses to nearly a century of history. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2006, it underwent a meticulous seven-year restoration completed in 2020, before reopening in 2021 with a restored Italianate garden. It remains a powerful architectural symbol of the heritage revival of Japan's historic greenhouses.