Shinjuku Gyoen

Welcome to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a vast 144-acre 'oasis in the city' that stands as one of Tokyo's most significant horticultural and historical landmarks. To understand this space, one must look back over 400 years to…

Your journey begins at the Shinjuku Gate, the most popular of the garden's three entrances due to its proximity to the massive Shinjuku Station complex. Before you even pass through the automated ticket gates, I encourage you to…

Walking south from the Shinjuku Gate, you encounter the English Landscape Garden, characterized by its 'expansive green lawns' and a sense of openness that is rare in central Tokyo. This style of gardening, popular in…

As you continue your walk toward the eastern edge of the park, the landscape shifts dramatically into the French Formal Garden. This section is the epitome of 'symmetrical design,' a stark contrast to the naturalistic English…

Heading west, we enter the heart of the park's historical identity: the Japanese Traditional Garden. This is a 'strolling pond garden' (kaiyu-shiki), a style that reached its peak during the Edo period. …

Perched on the edge of the Japanese garden's pond is the Taiwan Pavilion, also known as Kyu-Goryoutei. This elegant, Chinese-style building was a gift from the Japanese community in Taiwan to commemorate the marriage of the Showa…

Near the Okido Gate, you will find the Shinjuku Gyoen Greenhouse, a modern glass structure that continues the park's long tradition of 'botanical research and conservation.' Inside, the environment is kept at a tropical…

As our scholarly exploration of Shinjuku Gyoen comes to a close, we return to the quiet of the central lawns. This garden is a 'testament to the vision' of men like Fukuba Hayato, who believed that a nation's greatness could be…