“DISSIMILATED SPACE” in Meiji Era J apanese Society, during the Late 19 th Century: Higashi Yuenchi Park

Abstract

This study reflects on the settling of Western people in Japan as a result of the expansion of capitalism in the late 19 th Century and its effect on Japanese society from the perspective of landscape architecture. It does this by looking at the urban parks constructed by the Westerners in their settlements: Higashi Yuenchi Park in Kobe, and Yokohama Park in Yokohama. This study found that Higashi Yuenchi Park had been establish ed by the foreigners themselves without any help from the Japanese. The design was based directly on their own desire for a park. As a result of this design, Higashi Yuenchi Park became isolated from Japanese society in spite of being so close to Japanese society, and in spite of the strong desire of the Japanese society at that time to westernise itself. Therefore HigashiYuenchi Park can be called a' dissimilated space' in a Meiji Era Japanese city.