Looking for a garden in Tokyo that you can easily visit before or after shopping or dining, or a park where you can spend the whole day when the weather is fine? We’ve got you covered, with ten of our favourite parks and gardens in Tokyo for a peaceful visit to nature.
1. Hamarikyu Gardens
Originally the garden of the Tokugawa shoguns, Hamarikyu Gardens is located in Chuo Ward. Looking out from inside the garden, you will be impressed by the contrast of the garden with Tokyo’s buildings in the background. If you want to take a break between strolls, we recommend the Nakajima teahouse.
1-1 Hamarikyu Garden, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
2. Kasai Rinkai Park
The park was created with five zones on the theme of interaction among greenery, water, and people in Tokyo Bay, where the city meets the deep blue sea stretching out into the distance. The Aviary Zone opened in 1994, and the Crystal View observation rest house in 1995. There is also one of the largest Ferris wheels in Japan, which is 117 meters high and offers a 17-minute journey in the air. Located a short distance from the city centre, it is recommended for those who want to avoid crowds.
6 Rinkai-cho, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo
👉 See the Kasai Rinkai Park official website
3. Kinuta Park
The initial theme for the creation of Kinuta Park was to build a park that can be enjoyed by the whole family. In accordance with this basic plan, a family park area and an athletic facility area consisting of a grassy plaza and a wooded area have been developed, taking advantage of the natural topography of the area. The Setagaya Art Museum is located in one section of the park.
1-1 Kinuta Park, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
4. Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
The garden is designated as a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty under the Law for Protection of Cultural Properties as a Japanese garden of high artistic and ornamental value. The garden is a kaiyushiki style garden with a ‘landscape’ of mountains, rivers, and rice paddies arranged around the ‘ocean’ scenery of the Oizensui central pond.
1-6-6 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
5. National Showa Memorial Park
A national park straddling Tachikawa City and Akishima City. National Showa Memorial Park features a swimming pool and BBQ area on the grounds, as well as a vast “field for everyone” and dog run, so no matter how many times you visit, you will never get bored.
3173 Midoricho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0014, Japan
👉 See the National Showa Memorial Park Official Website
6. National Museum of Nature and Science
Unlike most botanical gardens and gardens, the National Museum of Nature and Science operates with the idea of preserving nature as close to its original state as possible. It is said that the area began as the residence of a wealthy family in the Middle Ages, and since then it has served as the residence of Takamatsu feudal lord Matsudaira Yorishige in the Edo period, and as a gunpowder magazine for the Army and Navy in the Meiji period. In 1949, it was designated as a national natural monument and historic site as the former Shirogane Imperial Villa.
5-21-5 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
7. Shinjuku Gyoen
Designed by a French landscape architect, the garden skillfully combines a European-style formal garden, a landscape garden, and a Japanese garden. It is a representative modern Western garden of the Meiji era and one of the few masterpieces of landscape gardens in Japan.
11 Naito-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
8. Todoroki Ravine Park
A walk through Todoroki Ravine Park starts at the eye-catching red bridge. After descending the stairs at the foot of the bridge and walking along a 1-km promenade along the river, a Japanese garden, a shoin (a Japanese-style drawing room), and a lawn area appear. During the stroll, visitors can enjoy matcha green tea with sweets at the sweet shop Setsugekka, along with oshiruko (sweet red bean paste) in winter, and tokoro-ten, shaved ice, and Ramune in summer.
22, 1-22, 2-37 to 38 outside Todoroki 1-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
👉 See the Todoroki Valley official website
9. Happo-en
The garden at Happo-en, which is also famous as a wedding venue, recreates nature as faithfully as possible, with the basic elements of landscaping – trees, stones, water, and soil – arranged in an ingenious way. It also has a bonsai tree that is more than 500 years old and a tea ceremony room called “Yumean” where you can enjoy matcha.
1-1-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
10. Hibiya Park
This is the first “Western-style” park in Japan, boldly incorporating Western culture while skillfully weaving in Japanese elements. Events and concerts are held regularly at Hibiya Park Small Concert Hall, whilst Marunouchi and Ginza are also within walking distance, making it easy to visit while shopping.
1-6 Hibiya Park, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo