Rikugi-en Gardens 六義園

The Rikugi-en in Komagome is one of Tokyo's most beautiful gardens.

The land was given by shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi to his grand chamberlain Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, who started the constructed on the current gardens in 1695.

A pond, miniature mountain and various plants represent the 88 scenes of celebrated waka poems of the time.

The gardens is as attractive for its cherry blossoms (late-March, early April) as for its Autumn foliage (late November, early December).

Opening date Land area Number of trees Variety of plants Opening hours Admission fee Address Nearest station

16 October 1938 (laid in 1695) 87,809 m2 Trees : 6,340 / Shrubbery : 28,700 m2 / Lawn : 246,499 m2 Pines, maples (momiji), zelkova, elms, dogwoods, camphor trees, castanopsis sieboldii, idesia polucarpa, azaleas, plum trees, camelias, weeping cherry trees, evergreen magnolia, bush clovers, sasanquas, etc. 9am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed from 29 December to 3 January 300 yen Hon-komagome 6-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 7min walk from Komagome (Namboku and JR lines), 10min walk from Sengoku (Mita line)

Kyu-Furukawa-teien Gardens 旧古河庭園

The smaller Kyu-Furukawa Gardens are about 15min walk from Rikugien along the Hongo-dōri Avenue. Its main attraction are its early 20th-century stone residence, its rose garden and Japanese garden.

The property is the former residence of Meiji-era notable, Mutsu Munemitsu, who subsequently passed to the Furukawa family.

The Western-style villa and rose garden were designed by British architect Josiah Condor (1852-1920), who also designed the Rokumeikan, Nicolai Cathedral and the Iwasaki residence.

The roses are named after famous people (eg. Princess Michiko, Charles de Gaule), places or even virtues. They bloom twice a year, in Spring (mid-May to mid-June) and Autumn (mid-October to late-November).

The Japanese gardens were created by Ogawa Jihei, also known as Niwashi-Ueji (1860-1933) from Kyoto. They include a 10m high waterfall, a miniature replica of a gorge and an 'oku-no-in'-style stone lantern. The pond is shaped like the Japanese kanji for heart (心).

Opening date Land area Number of trees Variety of plants Opening hours Admission fee Address Nearest station

30 April 1956 30,780 m2 Tall trees : 2,400 / Shrubs : 2,400 / Lawn : 1,500 m2 Maples (momiji), roses, cherry trees, plum trees, azaleas, irises, peonies, bottle bushes, spider lilies, sasanquas, wax trees, camellias 9am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Closed from 29 December to 1 January 150 yen Nishigahara 1-chome, Kita-ku, Tokyo 7min walk from Nishigahara (Namboku line), Kami-Nakazato (JR lines)

Surrounding areas