There’s a lot that has been said about third spaces, and their availability for the general public that’s good for community and citizens’ mental health. I haven’t traveled that much around the world, but I do know that Japan is pretty great in this aspect.
Even in Tokyo, it’s hard to walk anywhere without landing in a small park, or garden, or a simple landscaped playground. Invariably these places are filled with children and adults playing or just being at peace.
When we saw there was a large botanical garden and zoo located just a few train stops away from our base in Nagoya, it was a foregone conclusion: we were going.
The Higashiyama Botanical Gardens and Zoo occupy a sprawling area located at a higher elevation than most of Nagoya. Walking from the station we noticed just how many high end residences there seemed to be.
The grounds themselves were large, with the zoo attractions being accessible from most of the park, and connected by wide, comfortable walkways. Most visitors seemed to be local families, and later in the day, local school kids in uniform hanging out with their friends. I couldn’t help but think just how cool it was having this kind of place in your backyard, accessible to just about everyone for a measly entrance fee.
Of course I was jealous at a community that already in my opinion had an abundance of third spaces, for them to have these botanical gardens just a short ride from downtown. At the same time I was happy to know that it is possible for a country to do this, and most importantly, that we were privileged enough to have visited and enjoyed it, even briefly,
The Visitor, Revisited 
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