One attraction of Mt. Godai is the Makino Botanical Garden, dedicated to Dr. Makino Tomitarō, who almost single-handedly established botany in Japan.

You enter the gardens through a passageway of intense greenery, arriving in an open structure covered with an acutely-angled, sweeping circular roof. In the middle of this area is a stand of delicate bamboo. The buildings were designed by architect Naitō Hiroshi using locally produced wood. A glasshouse near the entrance is filled with an extraordinary variety of exotic plants, including many of the orchids which particularly fascinated the botanist.

In the museum, exhibits document Dr. Makino’s life and work, all with proper English explanations. His exquisitely detailed drawings of plants are presented both as scientific documents and art.

Part of the garden once belonged to the grounds of Chikurin-ji Temple, whose red pagoda can be glimpsed through the greenery of the park.