Photo of the week: burned lawns
March 1, 2026
The lawns at the Korakuen garden in Okayama, Japan, are burned at the start of February each year. This is a traditional maintenance practice for Japanese lawngrass (Zoysia japonica). The photo at right shows a view of the lawn (with Okayama Castle towering in the background) on March 1, 24 days after the lawn was burned.
The Korakuen website's announcement for the burning event explains why the turf is burned:
"Shibayaki" is performed in which turf is burned.
By grilling…