From Ireland to Enoshima, the Samuel Cocking Garden has a rather fascinating origin. Samuel Cocking, an Irish immigrant who moved to Japan in the late 1860s following Japan’s open-door policy, was a 28-year-old businessman who started off in Ishinomaki but moved on to Yokohama to grow his business. While his home was in Yokohama, his heart was in Enoshima, a place he was so fond of that he decided to establish the Samuel Cocking Garden. It was his dream in fact, to purchase land in Enoshima. With his Japanese wife’s support, Riki Miyata, he eventually bought that plot of land and went on to include a flower garden, three ponds, a greenhouse, home to a plethora of rare plant species, with all the high-tech fixings of its day. Unfortunately, the original greenhouse no longer remains but has been reconstructed for visitors to observe all kinds of seasonal plants. Nonetheless, don’t forget to visit the observation deck, a great place for a photo opportunity that will make all your fellow green-fingered friends envious.