Let’s Go for a Garden Stroll in Tokyo… Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, an Overview

Photo by melissakartini

Photo essays

• Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens in Autumn

The Garden

Along with Rikugien Gardens, Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens is often regarded as Tokyo’s most beautiful garden. It is also one of the oldest (1603-1868), and being so well-preserved, makes it an excellent place to get a glimpse of Edo period Japan.

Its affair with history does not just stop there, however. The garden was originally built by the daimyo and son of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tokugawa Yorifusa (founder of the Mito clan), in 1629 and was completed by Yorifusa’s son, Tokugawa Mitsukuni, in 1669. The completion was done with the assistance of Zhu Zhiyu, the retainer of the Min dynasty.

Photo by melissakartini

Thus, the result is a garden that is full of Chinese influences. Even the name was bestowed upon by Zhu Zhiyu. “Korakuen”, which is from a Chinese poem (“Gakuyoro-ki” by Fan-Zhongyan) that encourages a ruler to only enjoy himself after achieving happiness for his people, means

“Worry before all worries in the world, and enjoy after all enjoyments in the world.”

Every Tokyo Metropolitan garden is seen as a cultural heritage of the state or Tokyo. That said, Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens stands out for being one of the rare few in the country that is designated as a Special Historic Site and the Special Place of Scenic Beauty by the Cultural Assets Preservation Act. The only other places that bear both of these titles are limited to Hama-rikyu Gardens, Kinkakuji Temple Garden and a few others.

Special Features

Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens was designed kaiyu-style (circuit style), with different sections of the garden bringing you different tastes and flavours to appreciate. Like the majority of traditional Japanese gardens, Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens is comprised of ponds, stones, hills and trees, thus showing off sceneries that are a marriage between Japanese and Chinese cultures. It also tries to replicate famous landscapes in smaller scale.

While there is a lot to see at the garden, there are a few particular places of note to look out for:

Photos by melissakartini

• Tokujin-do: The oldest architectural structure in the garden. Maintained in its original shape.
• Tsuten-kyo: A vermilion-coloured bridge that is especially beautiful in the Autumnal tints of late November and early December.
• Seiko-no-tsutsumi: Made in resemblance of the bank of Lake Seiko (Xi Hu) in Hangzhou (Zhejiang), China.
• Engetsu-kyo (Full Moon Bridge): Named as such due to the perfect full moon shape the bridge creates with its reflection in the water.
• Ume Grove: During plum season in early February, 30 different types of plum blossoms bloom.
• Inada (Paddy field): Primary school children participate in rice planting in May and harvesting in Autumn.
• Uchi-niwa: This was where the Mito clan had a shoin-style guesthouse.
• Nobedan: Chinese-style stone path.
• Shidare-zakura (Weeping cherry): A cherry blossom tree that is approximately 60 years old. It is noted for its breathtaking flowers during cherry blossom season.
• Dai-Sensui: A centric view of the garden that is an attempt to replicate Lake Biwa.

My favourite part of the garden is that it offers different, strategically placed vantage points for visitors to view it–and thus, offering them excellent points to take photographs. It is every photographer’s dream, basically. I’d like to think that this was one of the reasons why my pictures of it turned out so wonderfully.

To fully enjoy the garden at a leisurely pace, I recommend at least an hour and a half to do so.

Flower Calendar

• Winter: Winter sweet, Amur adonis, Plum-blossom, Camellia
• Spring: Camellia, Cherry blossom, Barrenwort, Iris japonica, Iris, Japanese wisteria, Water lily
• Summer: Water lily, Japanese iris, Hydrangea, Balloon flower, Poliajaponica, Crape myrtle, Lotus, Lycoris sanguinea, Golden-rayed lily
• Autumn: Hagi (Lespedeza), Cluster amaryllis, Japanese silver leaf, Japanese wax tree, Maple

Best time to visit

Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens is beautiful throughout the year, but it is particularly famous during the Autumn season in late November and early December. This is when the trees turn into vibrant shades of red, gold and orange.

It is also gorgeous about midway through Winter and early Spring. Around the middle of Winter in mid-February and throughout March for plum season; and early Spring during late March and early April for cherry blossom season.

Guided tours

• Japanese: Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and public holidays (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• English: Saturdays (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Fee: Free

Note that there are no tours if there is rain.

Entrance Details

Photo by melissakartini

• Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Entry closed at 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Year-end holidays (29th December to 1st January)
• Individual admission fee: 300 yen (General), 150 yen (65 or over)
• Group (20 or more) admission fee: 240 yen (General), 120 yen (65 or over)
• Free admission days: Green Day (4th May); Tokyo Citizen’s Day (1st October)
• Contact: 03-3811-3015