A small Japanese garden — the largest of its kind in South America — built in 1994 as a gift from La Serena's sister city of Tenri in Japan. Lake with carp, red bridges, gravel paths, a small tea house. Three hectares of careful landscaping that come as a surprise in a town not otherwise known for gardens.
It is in the Parque Pedro de Valdivia, ten minutes by taxi from the centre. A pleasant break in the shade after a morning of churches and museums; usually quiet on weekday afternoons.