Showing 1-10 of 10 results
-
Hama Rikyū Onshi-Teien (Detached Palace Garden)
Once a shōgunal palace extending into the area now occupied by the fish market, this traditional Japanese garden is one of Tokyo's finest. The Detached Palace Garden features a large duck pond with an island that's home to a charming tea pavilion, as well as some wonderfully manicured trees (black pine, Japanese apricot, hydrangeas, camellias etc), some of which are hundreds of years old.
Read more about Hama Rikyū Onshi-Teien (Detached Palace Garden)
-
Hibiya-Kōen (Hibiya Park)
Built around the turn of the 20th century at the height of Meiji Restoration, this leafy park just west of Ginza was Tokyo's first Western-style park. At the time, Western design was the height of fashion, and it doesn't take long to notice the similarities in public spaces to London, Paris and New York. If you're in need of a break on a quiet afternoon, find your way to one of the two ponds for a cup of tea at a pavilion.
-
Hinokicho-kōen
The highlight of the Tokyo Midtown complex. Formerly a private garden attached to the Azabu villa residence for the Mori family, a member of the Hagi Clan during the Edo Period, Hinokicho was reopened as a public park for the benefit of visitors to Tokyo Midtown. Adjacent to the park is the aptly named Midtown Garden, which was the former site of the Japan Self Defense Agency, though today it's a cherry-tree lined grassy space that's perfect for a picnic.
-
Imperial Palace East Garden (Higashi-Gyōen)
Higashi-gyōen is the only corner of the Imperial Palace proper that is regularly open to the public, and it makes for a pleasant retreat from the grinding hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Here you can get up-close-and-personal views of the massive stones used to build the castle walls, and even climb the ruins of one of the keeps, off the upper lawn. Although entry is free, the number of visitors at any one time is limited, so it never feels crowded.
-
Kiyosumi Teien (Kiyosumi Garden)
This marvellous garden was the first location to be designated a site of scenic beauty by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government - and it's easy to see why. The origins of Kiyosumi Garden date back to 1721 as a villa for a daimyō . Although the villa itself was destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, the property thereafter was purchased by Iwasaki Yatarō, founder of the Mitsubishi Corporation. He was able to use company ships to transport prize stones to here from all over Japan - count all 50 (they're numbered). They're set around a pond ringed with Japanese black pine, hydrangeas, Taiwan cherries and other plants designed to bloom at different times of the year.
-
Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Kōraku Garden)
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.
Read more about Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Kōraku Garden)
-
New Otani Japanese Garden
This stunning 400-year-old Japanese garden on the grounds of the New Otani Hotel is worth a stop if traditional landscapes are your thing. Though the garden is open to the public, the hotel doesn't go out of its way to make it accessible. The easiest way to find it is via the first floor of the hotel's Garden Court shopping complex.
-
Rikugi-En (Rikugi Garden)
This fine garden has landscaped views unfolding at every turn of the pathways that crisscross the grounds. The garden is rich in literary associations: its name is taken from the six principles of waka poetry (31-syllable poems), and the landscaping invokes famous scenes from Chinese and Japanese literature.
-
Shinjuku-Gyōen
Dating back to 1906, this downtown park provides the perfect escape from winter cold, as it boasts a hothouse full of exotic tropical plants, allegedly even including peyote! There's also a French garden and a pond full of giant carp. Keep this park in mind when you're exhausted by all that busy Shinjuku has to offer.
-
Yoyogi-Kōen
Sunday in Yoyogi-kōen used to be one of Tokyo's prime attractions, when local bands gathered to give free concerts on the park's pathways and kids in wild hair-dos and 1950s get-ups gathered to gyrate to recorded rock and roll. Sadly, the police have put a stop to this and now Yoyogi-kōen is just another park. That said, with lots of wide open spaces and some flowering trees, it's not a bad place for a picnic or playing some sport on the grass.
-
Advertisement
Showing 1-10 of 10 results
