Japan's 'pocket park' recognized as world's smallest by Guinness World Records

ANKARA

The Guinness World Records has recognized a "pocket park" in Japan as the world's smallest, the Tokyo-based Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.

Measuring only 0.24 square meters (2.58 square feet) with space for just one person to sit on a wooden seat on a rock, the park is located in Nagaizumi town of central Shizuoka prefecture.

It consists of small square raised bricks, small plants next to the stool and two stone monuments, including one with a carving of the town's symbolic flower.

Locals had long dubbed the site the "world's smallest park" and cherished it as a resting space for more than 30 years, before it was officially recognized by Guinness in December, according to the Kyodo News.

With local support, the town decided to challenge the world record in 2023, hired a surveyor to measure the land and submitted a certificate that proved the park had existed for over five years.

Following the Guinness recognition, the park has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from outside Shizuoka.

* Writing by Aamir Latif