Koishikawa Korakuen Garden — Attraction in Tokyo

Visiting the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in mid April 2024, it was easy to understand why this garden is among the most popular and highly rated in Tokyo. I was very fortunate during a month-long stay in Tokyo to visit at least a dozen Japanese gardens around the city. Of all the gardens in Tokyo that I had the opportunity to see, this was my favorite, for reasons that I will explain here. (This is not to say that it the best garden in Tokyo. I haven’t visited enough of them to be able to make such a claim, which is entirely subjective in any case; but it was my personal favorite in Tokyo so far.) Tokyo is a city that enjoys an embarrassment of riches in extraordinary and special gardens. But the Koishikawa Korakuen garden stands out for its great size, the tremendous variety and quality of landscapes, and waterscapes, as well as the excellent and very tasteful informational panels posted throughout. These bilingual Japanese & English informational panels allow visitors to gain invaluable and fascinating insights into many aspects of the garden. For example, one particularly delightful feature is the beautiful Engetsu-Kyo, or Full Moon Bridge. Without the perfectly translated informational panel adjacent to the bridge, I would not have understood why it is has such an unusual shape. It is very steep, and would be difficult to walk across. In that sense, it would seem its form defeats the function. But looking at it from a distance, straight on from the side (please see my photos) you understand the amazing beauty of its construction. From the right angle, and in the right light, a view of the bridge magically creates an image of the full moon. Moreover, the informational panel goes on to say that this particular bridge is one of the oldest stone arch bridges in all of Japan! Similar delights abound in this garden. Although I have read and enjoyed books about Japanese Gardens, I learned as much or more about them in one afternoon visiting Koishikawa Korakuen as I have in reading entire books on the topic. Another thoroughly charming feature is the tea room. I had the very good fortune to feel tired enough that I wanted to take a break, and so I decided to try the tea room. It was wonderful, and the price was very, reasonable. I was rejuvenated, and was able to spend another full hour, enjoying other sections of the garden, as well as revisiting places that I particularly liked. The Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is indeed a special place, and well worth an hour or two, or even a full afternoon (or more) of your valuable time in Tokyo. It’s a place I plan...

I spent my last day in Tokyo in Suidōbashi.

I’d been here already once on the trip looking for Winning brand boxing gloves to no avail, but I’d loved just walking around the area; it’s bustling and not just because of the Tokyo Dome.

There are great eats everywhere, waterways to explore and interesting streets to wander down.

As it was my last day, I wanted to unwind before jetting back to Singapore, and I found the Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens.

With my trusty Kindle in hand I did a lap of the gardens, stopping at various points to take a seat and read a chapter of the book I was halfway through.

Although busy it is very tranquil and the lush verdant greenery set against the backdrop of the dome, is uplifting and inspiring. The many bodies of water add cool reflections for photographers.

I recommend coming here if you are weary of the hustle and bustle and looking for a spot to recharge the batteries and have a pleasant...

The garden is looking so beautiful this time of year and is one of my favourite gardens in Tokyo. It's only about 300 yen to enter (you can also buy an annual garden pass that lets you in to a number of different gardens) and there is a cafe/restaurant/teahouse on your left as you enter. You can usually have a set meal or tea with wagashi (sweets) and look out into the garden - if you are by a window. Across from the "cafe" is a small gift shop and they were selling ice cream (Matcha or Vanilla) which I can recommend. There was also a dango (grilled mochi rice cakes) stall towards the back of the garden when I was there on the weekend - it might only be there on busy weekends. The garden is large enough to never feel too crowded and busy and offers such a variety of different viewpoints (as it was designed to do) that you can easily stroll around for an hour or two. Highly...