Yamashita Koen

Verdant Yamashita Park is a popular dating spot. The statue in the middle depicts the Little Girl in Red Shoes, based on a Japanese song about the real-life story of Iwasaki Kimi. Born in 1902, she was adopted by American missionaries and thought destined for a life of luxury in the US. But, in fact, Kimi never left Japan: abandoned by her foster parents, she died alone, aged nine, of tuberculosis. Moored beside the park is the 1930s ocean liner Hikawa Maru, whose most famous passenger was Charlie Chaplin.