Edo Castle in Tokyo, Japan?

About this photo

A high stone wall fills the right third of the picture. The white-walled building on top has two tiers of tiled roofs, with one square window and several long, narrow ones. In the middle, a tree that looks like a pine leans at a slant, its branches spread out sideways, and above the trees at the back on the left, a white building with three tiers of roofs can be seen.

At the upper left, printed from right to left, are the words "Kyujo Ninomaru fukin" ("near the Ninomaru of the palace"). "Kyujo" is the name the palace was given in 1888, when construction of the Imperial Palace was completed. The Ninomaru area now lies within the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, and the gardens' map lists names such as "Ninomaru Garden" and "Ninomaru Grove." The East Gardens have been open to the public since October 1, 1968, as long as this does not interfere with court events.

Drop your gaze to the water at the very bottom. The low stone wall and the white wall toward the left are reflected upside down in it. White square stones and dark square shapes face each other above and below the waterline.

Glossary