GARDENS OF TOKYO of Japan Walk-Caster_E

HISTORIC GARDENS OF TOKYO

Many visitors to Japan arrive first in Tokyo then try to get out of the city as fast as they can. This is perhaps a mistake as our Historic Gardens of Tokyo tours make clear.

Tokyo is indeed a large and noisy modern city, but tucked here and there, one can find peace and tranquility along with much else of value. Tokyo‘s historic gardens certainly fall into this category. Most of Tokyo’s gardens have their origins in the Edo period, and despite earthquakes, war, developers, and time, have come down through the ages in remarkably good shape.

Japan Walk-Caster’s Historic Gardens of Tokyo, written and narrated by Stephen Mansfield, are not to be missed.

● HAMARIKYU ONSHI TEIEN
● KIYOSUMI TEIEN
● KOISHIKAWA KORAKUEN
● KOISHIKAWA BOTANICAL
● SHIBARIKYU ONSHI TEIEN
● MEIJI SHRINE SHOBUEN
● RIKUGIEN
● SHINJUKU GYOEN
● EAST GARDEN OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE
● MUKOJIMA HYAKKEN
● KYU FURUKAWA GARDEN
● TOKYO HISTORIC GARDENS PACK

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


Hama Rikyu was constructed on reclaimed land at the mouth of the Sumida River in the Edo period. It was first developed by Tokygawa Tsunashige, lord of Kofu and brother to the fourth shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna. The garden featured a tidal pond and was a hunting ground for the shogun. In 1654 more land was reclaimed from the bay and a villa was built. The shogun would often go boating from here. After the fall of the Tokugawa an Imperial villa was constructed here. Hama Rikyu Teien became a municipal park in 1945. The park is served by waterbus service to and from Asakusa.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


A typical Kaiyuu style daimyo garden from the Edo period. The park features a pond, artificial hills, and rocks. Part of the park was created by Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, a famous Edo lumber merchant. In 1878, Iwasaki Yataro, founder of the Mitsubishi group, bought the property and built a garden that was used by employees and important business guests. In 1932 the Mitsubishi group donated the garden to the City of Tokyo. It was opened to the public in 1932.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


Korakuen was constructed in the early Edo period by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa family. He incorporated concepts from the Ming dynasty and the Chinese Confucian scholar, Shushunsui, including a reproduction of lake Seiko, a "full moon bridge" as well as other Chinese features.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


The Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science and the University of Tokyo have facilities and wild plant collections for botanical education and research here. The gardens originated as the Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Gardens established in 1684 by the Tokugawa shogunate. The gardens were the birthplace of modern botany in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Over 4,000 species of plants in the living collection include hardy woody species, hardy herbaceous species, and tropical and subtropical species.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


This feudal era clan garden from the Edo period was built on reclaimed land from Edo Bay in 1678. During the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate it was the official residence of the Kishu branch of the Tokugawa family.
It was purchased by the Imperial Household Agency in 1875 and became the Shiba Detached Palace. In January 1924, as part of the commemorations marking the beginning of the Showa Emperor’s reign, the property was given to the City of Tokyo.

¥210

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


After the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken had been known to visit was chosen as the location. Construction began in 1915, and was formally dedicated in 1920 with completion in 1921.

¥210

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


Rikugien was created based on Waka poetry in the 15th year of Genroku (1702) by the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. The garden is a typical example of the many gardens that could have been found in Edo. It has been designated as a special site of exceptional beauty and an important cultural asset. The name “Rikugien” refers to a system for dividing Chinese poetry into six categories, a system that also influenced Japanese Waka.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


Shinjuku Gyoen was constructed on the site of a private mansion belonging to Lord Naito, a daimyo in the Edo period. Completed in 1906 as an imperial garden, it was re-designated as a national garden after WWII and opened to the public. Its 144 acres blends three distinct garden styles, French formal garden, English landscape garden, and a Japanese traditional garden. It is considered to be one of the most important gardens from the Meiji period.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


The East Garden today is mostly a modern garden park but the land it occupies is very old and full of history. For this was the site of Edo Jo, or castle, of the Tokugawa shogunate who ruled Japan for over 260 years from within these ramparts. The gardens occupy the honmaru, where the shogun lived with his ladies in waiting, the ninomaru where the retired shogun lived, and parts of the sanomaru where important shogunate institutions were located. History aside, the garden is a delight at any time of the year, and in any kind of weather.

¥315

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


This garden is unique out of all the gardens in Tokyo if only because its origins are not connected to the elite daimyo class of the Edo period, but with the common son of Edo. Its name suggests what the visitor will find here. The Garden of a Hundred Flowers collected flowers and plants from Japanese and Chinese literature making it a special treat for scholars. Further, the garden became one of the stopping off spots for pilgrims on the Seven Deities of Good Luck course. This is one of the smallest gardens in the city but the floral profusion along with its history make it a must see garden.

¥210

　　

TOUR GUIDE SAMPLE


This garden was once home to one of Japan’s most successful Meiji period industrialist, Furukawa Ichibei, the king of coal. At Furukawa’s request, the British architect Josiah Conder designed his house in the English style. Regardless of what one might think of the inhospitable edifice that resulted, the gardens, both Western and Japanese, are a delight to both the gardener and historian alike.

¥315

　　　

　　　

　　

¥2,625



Adobe Reader is necessary to read PDF files. Please download and install from here.
Adobe, Acrobat and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

iPod, iPhone, iTunes and iTunes Store are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.