Kitagawa Village "Mone no Niwa" Marumottan

Kitagawa Village “Monet’s Garden” Marmottan is a garden located in Kitagawa Village, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture. It is the only garden in the world officially authorized to use the name “Monet’s Garden,” after the garden in Giverny, France, which the Impressionist master Claude Monet cherished throughout his life. Developed under the guidance and advice of the Fondation Claude Monet in France, the garden faithfully recreates Monet’s vision, from the types and arrangement of plants to the overall color scheme. Across its expansive grounds of approximately 30,000 square meters, around 100,000 flowers and other plants bloom, creating beautiful scenery that changes with each season.

At the age of 43, Claude Monet moved to Giverny in northern France, where he cultivated a garden of his own design as a place of artistic creation. The colorful flowers, water lilies floating on the pond, and the beauty of trees and sky reflected on the water inspired numerous masterpieces, including his renowned Water Lilies series. Kitagawa Village “Monet’s Garden” Marmottan was created as a special place where visitors can experience this artistic world amid Kochi’s abundant natural surroundings.

The garden is mainly divided into three areas: the Flower Garden, the Water Garden, and the Bordighera Garden.

The Flower Garden is a vibrant garden where colorful flowers bloom in abundance throughout the seasons. To recreate the harmony of colors that Monet loved, the types of plants, their placement, and even the colors of the flowers have been carefully planned. From spring through autumn, one variety after another comes into bloom. Around May, when approximately 500 roses representing about 200 varieties are in full bloom, the garden reaches one of its most beautiful periods, with magnificent rose arches and flower beds adding color throughout the grounds.

The Water Garden, which recreates the world of Monet’s famous Water Lilies series, is the garden’s greatest highlight. Water lilies in a variety of colors bloom on the pond, while the sky and trees are reflected on the surface of the water, creating a dreamlike landscape in which light and colors change from moment to moment. A green Japanese-style arched bridge, a wisteria trellis, willows, and other features are also arranged throughout the garden, allowing visitors to feel as though they are walking through one of Monet’s paintings.

One of the garden’s most popular attractions is its blue water lilies. During his lifetime, Monet repeatedly attempted to grow tropical blue water lilies in Giverny, but he was unable to do so because of the climate. In the warmer climate of Kitagawa Village, however, blue water lilies bloom beautifully every year from around late June through late October. They are generally in bloom from approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The opportunity to enjoy a scene Monet himself could never see during his lifetime is one of this garden’s unique charms.

The Bordighera Garden is an original garden unique to Kitagawa Village and does not exist at the original garden in Giverny. It was designed based on works Monet painted during his travels to Bordighera, Italy, and features palms, citrus trees, and vividly colored flowers. Taking advantage of Kochi’s warm climate, it presents a distinctive landscape filled with the bright, open atmosphere of the Mediterranean. The garden was renovated in 2020 and transformed into an even more appealing space.

Within the grounds, visitors can enjoy not only the scenery reflected on the water and the flowers of each season, but also encounters with a wide variety of plants and insects. From around July through early September each year, the garden is also known for the arrival of the nomi-ruri-mon-hanabachi, a rare blue bee affectionately known as the “blue bee.” With its brilliant blue body, this bee is popular as the “blue bee that brings happiness,” and many visitors enjoy strolling through the garden while searching for it.

Various events are also held at “Monet’s Garden” throughout the year. From autumn through early winter, the garden hosts “Night Canvas,” a lighting event that transforms the grounds into a fantastical world. Candles and illuminations create an enchanting landscape unlike the daytime scenery. The event program varies from year to year and may include fireworks, stargazing events known as “Black Night,” and puzzle-solving activities, attracting many visitors.

Walking paths have been developed throughout the garden, allowing visitors to explore the grounds at a leisurely pace. Each area offers a different character, whether by the water, among the flower beds, or beneath the shade of the trees. Another major attraction is the opportunity to encounter completely different scenery depending on the season, time of day, and weather. From the fresh greenery of spring and the roses and water lilies of early summer to the vivid flowers of summer and the autumn foliage, there are new discoveries to be made no matter how many times you visit throughout the year.

The garden is approximately a 90-minute drive from central Kochi and about a one-hour drive from Kochi Ryoma Airport. As one of eastern Kochi Prefecture’s leading tourist attractions, it is often visited together with nearby destinations such as Cape Muroto and Nahari Town.

Kitagawa Village “Monet’s Garden” Marmottan is a special garden—the only one in the world officially authorized by the Fondation Claude Monet to use the name “Monet’s Garden.” While faithfully recreating the artistic world of Giverny in France, it also offers a landscape that blends beautifully with Kochi’s natural surroundings. Here, visitors can discover beautiful scenery found nowhere else, including Monet’s beloved Flower Garden and Water Garden, Kitagawa Village’s original Bordighera Garden, and blue water lilies that Monet was never able to see during his lifetime. Strolling through the garden as though admiring a painting, visitors can fully savor an artistic world woven from flowers, light, and water throughout the changing seasons. It is one of Kochi Prefecture’s premier gardens.