Three hours talking in a garden? No problem for me! On my last tour in Rikugien we took it slowly, walked around in peace while almost no one else was there on this gray and wet October morning. We took our time for breaks when we found especially beautiful scenery. When we finished the tour and I looked at my […]
Continue reading »
Koishikawa Kōrakuen （小石川後楽園） The Koishikawa Korakuen garden is, maybe, the best example for an Edo period daimyō strolling garden. Tokugawa Yorifusa, the eleventh child of Tokugawa Ieyasu and head of the Mito clan, started to build his residence and garden here. His son Tokugawa Mitsukuni completed it in 1669 as a garden with Japanese and Chinese elements. This garden is […]
Continue reading »
Hamarikyū Teien （浜離宮恩賜庭園） The Hamarikyu garden was built during the Edo period (1603 – 1868) as a leisure place for the Shogun. Therefore it was built directly next to Tokyo Bay on swampland and featured a gorgeous view on the sea and towards the mountains. There are several duck hunting sites, teahouses, and other facilities which entertained the Shogun. This […]
Continue reading »
Kiyosumi Teien（清澄庭園） The story tells, that the Kiyosumi garden was once part of the businessman Kinokuniya Bunzaemons property, who lived during the Edo Period (1603 – 1868). However, during the Meiji period (1868 – 1912), the Garden was remodeled by Iwasaki Yataro, the founder of Mitsubishi. Iwasaki purchased several gardens, but Kiyosumi garden was his stage to showcase special stones, […]
Continue reading »
Shinjuku Gyoen （新宿御苑） The Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the biggest parks in central Tokyo. It features three different garden sections: a Japanese garden with ponds connected by a river, a formal French garden with roses and an alley of plane trees, and an English Landscape garden. During the Edo period (1603 – 1868), the park was built adjacent to […]
Continue reading »
Rikugien （六義園） The Rikugien garden is dedicated to Waka poetry and resembles the six rules of Waka. Built during the Edo period (1603 – 1868), it showcases the typical features of a daimyō strolling garden. Later, it was purchased by the founder of Mitsubishi, who added to his taste here and there, but let the original structure almost untouched. This […]
Continue reading »
Tonogayato Garden (殿ヶ谷戸庭園) The Tonogayato Garden is a relatively new landscape garden. It was constructed between 1914 and 1916 (Taisho period) at the edge of the 25 km long Kokubunji rift line. The manager of the early Mitsubishi Group and later Vice-President of the South Manchurian Railway, Eguchi Sadae, bought the land in Kokubunji and has his garden and residence […]
Continue reading »
Kyū-Shibarikyū Garden （旧芝離宮庭園） The Kyu-Shibarikyu garden is most interesting because it was built on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay in 1658. The daimyō Ōkubo Tadatomo had his residence here. Although it is an Edo period strolling garden, it resembles the style of Samurai-style architecture more than that of a daimyō garden. Until the end of the Edo period, the owner […]
Continue reading »
Tokyo Imperial Palace Ninomaru Gardens (東御苑の二の丸庭園) The third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, established the central government in Edo and asked Kobori Enshū to create a garden in the Ninomaru 二の丸 – Second Compound of the Edo castle. Here, Iemitsu planned to build his second palace, the Ninomaru Goten at the area of today’s small grove. It was assembled with a teahouse […]
Continue reading »
Kyu-Furukawa Teien（旧古河庭園） The Western-style mansion in the Kyu-Furukawa garden was built by Josiah Conder in 1917. The adjacent garden was designed by him as well. The Japanese-style garden in the lower area of the garden was constructed by the famous Kyoto garden designer Ogawa Jihei. This garden is famous for: The rose garden The Japanese wax tree in fall The […]
Continue reading »