Traditional Japanese Gardens – Shinjuku Gyoen
The most picturesque park we’ve ever been to! 新宿御苑
A perfectly tranquil spot to help you get away from the busy, frantic mecca of Shinjuku!
The gardens:
The Japanese landscape garden features large ponds dotted with islands and bridges. Well-manicured shrubs and trees surround the water together with several pavilions and the Kyu Goryotei. Friendly Koi fish inhabit the waters here!
There is a formal French garden, and an English landscape garden featuring wide, open lawns surrounded by flowering cherry trees. The rest of the park consists of forested areas, lawns and several structures including a restaurant, an information centre and an art gallery. There is also a beautiful greenhouse with many tropical and subtropical flowers.
What you’ll need to know:
Opening hours is 9:00 to 16:30 (entry until 16:00)
There is an entry fee of ¥200 (Approx. $2.50 au) which can be paid at an electronic booth.
Food is allowed so get yourself a picnic, however, alcohol is prohibited. As we sadly found out the hard way.
Closed Mondays and December 29 to January 3. There are no closing days during the cherry blossom season (late March to late April) and the Chrysanthemum Exhibition (first half of November).
BONUS FACT – There are 1,500 cherry blossom trees at Shinjuku Gyoen!!! This makes it a perfect Hanami spot! Hanami is Japanese for flower viewing and is wildly popular during Cherry Blossom season.
If you are visiting during summer or on one of the hotter months like we did then we recommend stopping by the rest stop area and trying Kakigori! It’s a shaved ice dessert that goes from basic (like a snow cone) to super indulgent and can be found all over Japan during summer.
