Azuki Museum

The city museum, built to preserve information about the azuki bean culture for posterity, is surrounded by trees and next to a pond that feeds in the spring. As azuki cultivation originated in the evergreen forests of East Asia, it was planned to surround the building with laurel trees.
In Japan, azuki has long been used on auspicious occasions, for prayers and religious ceremonies, so the museum's exhibits reflect the four seasons, the moon and the cardinal directions.