Shinjuku Gyoen（新宿御苑）
A Garden Retreat in the Heart of Tokyo Shinjuku Gyoen is one of Tokyo’s largest and most diverse parks, featuring one of the city’s most beautiful Japanese gardens. Located just steps away from Shinjuku Station, this vast landscape blends tradition and modernity with ease. It includes a Japanese garden, a formal French garden, and an […]
Koishikawa Korakuen（小石川後楽園）
Edo-Period Garden Tranquility in the Heart of Tokyo Koishikawa Kōrakuen（小石川後楽園）is one of Tokyo’s oldest surviving gardens, a beautifully preserved example of an Edo-period strolling garden. Begun in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the son of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, it was completed in 1669 by his son Tokugawa Mitsukuni, with the guidance of the Chinese Confucian scholar […]
Hamarikyu Teien（浜離宮恩賜庭園）
A Strolling Garden by Tokyo Bay with Shogunal History Hamarikyū Teien is a spacious Edo-period strolling garden located along Tokyo Bay. Originally designed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the garden reflects the power and refinement of the era. Its tidal ponds are unique—connected to the bay, the water levels rise and fall with the tide, creating […]
Rikugien（六義園 ）
A Classical Edo-Period Garden Rooted in Poetry Rikugien（六義園）is one of Tokyo’s most elegant and refined Edo-period strolling gardens, located in the quiet neighborhood of Komagome in Bunkyo ward. Built between 1695 and 1702 by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu—a samurai official under shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi—the garden was inspired by classical Waka poetry and originally featured 88 miniature scenes […]
Zuiho-in (Daitoku-ji)（瑞峯院）
A Zen Garden Rooted in Christian History Zuihō-in, part of the Daitoku-ji temple complex in Kyoto, stands out not only for its striking gardens but also for its unusual origins. It was founded in 1546 by Ōtomo Sōrin, a powerful Christian daimyo, as his family temple. Remarkably, Zuihō-in still preserves its original architecture, having survived […]
Nezu Museum（根津美術館）
A modern museum with an elegant stroll garden in central Tokyo The Nezu Museum in Tokyo’s Minami-Aoyama district holds a prestigious private collection of Japanese and East Asian art. From calligraphy and ink paintings to Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, and textiles, its exhibits cover a wide range of artistic traditions. The museum’s origin dates back to […]
Tokyo National Museum（東京国立博物館）
A hidden garden filled with history and traditional teahouses The Tokyo National Museum Garden in Ueno Park offers more than just seasonal beauty. It also preserves five historic buildings, each relocated from various parts of Japan. One highlight is Tengōan (転合庵), a teahouse originally designed in Kyoto by the famous tea master Kobori Enshū (小堀遠州). […]
Tonogayato Teien（殿ヶ谷戸庭園）
An early 20th-century garden retreat just outside Tokyo Tonogayato Teien is a Japanese landscape garden located near Tokyo, built between 1914 and 1916 during the Taisho period. Originally, the garden served as the private residence of the vice president of the Manchurian Railway Company. Later, in 1929, a member of the influential Iwasaki family acquired […]
Meigetsu-in（明月院）
Kamakura’s Hydrangea Temple with Zen Roots Meigetsu-in（明月院）is a Zen temple in Kita-Kamakura, best known for its vibrant hydrangea blossoms (ajisai) that draw thousands of visitors every June. The vivid blue flowers fill the temple grounds during the rainy season, earning it the popular nickname Ajisai-dera (Hydrangea Temple). Founded in 1383 during the Muromachi period by […]
Jomyo-ji（浄妙寺）
A Zen Retreat with Ashikaga Legacy and Garden Tranquility Tucked into the eastern hills of Kamakura, Jōmyō-ji stands as the fifth temple of the Kamakura Gozan, the Five Great Zen Temples. Founded in 1188 by Ashikaga Yoshikane, a samurai who served Minamoto no Yoritomo, the temple began as a Mikkyō (esoteric Buddhism) temple named Gokuraku-ji. […]