Centered in perhaps one of Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods is Shinjuku-gyoen (新宿御苑), a former feudal lord’s residence turned imperial garden, before its doors opened to the public in 1951. It is now a welcome oasis for city-dwellers to stroll through its peaceful gardens and shelter under the trees.
The Gardens
The park has three distinct garden styles – French formal, English landscape and Japanese traditional – and a perfect day in Shinjuku begins with a morning stroll along the winding paths where the gardens unfold. Seasonal blooms color the park at any given time of year, but the prettiest is the cherry blossom season, when the sakura trees and the ground below are blanketed in pink petals. For the locals, this is also the time for hanami, or cherry blossom viewing parties at the park.
Landmarks of Shinjuku Gyoen
In the Japanese traditional garden is Kyū-Goryō-tei, or the Taiwan Pavilion, gifted to commemorate the wedding of then-Crown Prince Hirohito. A rare example of traditional Chinese architecture in Japan, it is also the only structure that survived WWII air raids in the decade following the time it was built. Don’t miss the orchids blooming inside the greenhouse too.
On your way out, stop by the National Parks Discovery Centre to see the cool interactive and projection-mapped displays and stunning images of national parks across the country.
