Hamarikyu Gardens

Welcome to Hamarikyu Gardens, a stunning landscape garden in the heart of Tokyo that offers a profound contrast between the ancient traditions of the Edo period and the gleaming modernity of the Shiodome skyline. Located at the…

Your journey begins at the Otemon Gate, the main entrance to the gardens. Just inside the gate stands one of the garden's most remarkable residents: the Sanbyaku-nen-no-matsu, or the Three-Hundred-Year-Old Pine. …

The center of Hamarikyu is dominated by the Shioiri-no-ike, or 'Incoming Tide Pond.' This is Tokyo's last remaining seawater pond and one of the most technically interesting features of the garden. A sluice gate connects the pond…

Leading across the seawater pond is the O-tsutaibashi, a one-hundred-and-eighteen-meter-long bridge made entirely of Japanese cypress wood. The name translates roughly to 'the bridge for crossing over,' and it has a traditional,…

Hamarikyu contains several well-preserved 'Kamoba,' or duck hunting sites, that were once used by the Shogun and his guests. These sites consist of small ponds surrounded by dense embankments and 'blinds'—hidden trenches where…

At the northern end of the garden lies a vast flower field that transforms with the seasons. In the spring, usually around late February and March, the field is blanketed with a yellow carpet of thousands of rapeseed flowers,…

One of the most evocative ways to experience Hamarikyu is to arrive or depart via the Tokyo Water Bus. The garden has its own dedicated pier, historically known as the 'Shogun's Landing.' From here, you can take a…

As our tour of Hamarikyu Gardens concludes, we hope you carry with you a sense of the profound peace that can be found in the heart of a great metropolis. We have walked in the footsteps of Shoguns and Emperors, seen a pine tree…