Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Kōraku Garden)

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  • Address
    1-6-6 Kōraku, Bunkyō-ku
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  • Phone
    3811 3015
  • Transport
    underground rail: Toei Ōedo Line to Iidabashi (exit C3)

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Lonely Planet review

This 70,000-sq-metre formal Japanese garden is one of Tokyo's most beautiful and least visited (by foreigners at least) - if you have the slightest interest in gardens, you should make a beeline straight for here.

Established in the mid-17th century as the property of the Tokugawa clan, the garden incorporates elements of Chinese and Japanese landscaping, although nowadays the shakkei (borrowed scenery) also includes the otherworldly cool of the Tokyo Dome. The garden is particularly well known for plum trees in February, irises in June and autumn colours. Of particular note is the Engetsu-kyō (full moon bridge), which dates from the early Edo period.

means 'the garden of later enjoyment', which comes from a Chinese proverb about maintaining power first and enjoying it later - we assume this sounds better in Chinese.