Rikugien Garden
Continuing
on from our last article, for this particular trip this was our first full day
in Tokyo. We were once again blessed with a full sun day with temperatures
being around 24c, with the forecast for it to get warmer for the rest of the
week. Our planned schedule for this day was to visit two gardens with different
styles and design at separate locations within the city, with both gardens
being a short train journey apart. Then later in the day to visit another
downtown district.
Setting off
from our hotel at around 8am, we first stopped off and picked up some
breakfast, coffee and some lunch for the day. We have learned when having a
busy itinerary and visiting gardens, it may be difficult to get a bite to eat
quickly, so we tend to always purchase a few sandwiches and treats in the
morning as a contingency.
We then headed off to Tokyo station to catch our first train of the day which was a local train on the Yamanote Line, that would take us to our first destination, Rikugien Garden, which is one of the top three best gardens in Tokyo. We got off at the Komagome Station with the garden’s entrance only being about a 5-minute walk away.
Once we had paid our 300 yen (£1.60) each admission fee, we then entered the garden! Just past the admission hut there was a small path that led you through some trees to the garden, where it opened up in front of us and led us to a grassed area with a stunning pond in the backdrop complemented by an island and bridge…stunning! The garden is a kaiyu-style which is a walk around style garden, which is common of the Edo period, this means we could walk completely around the whole garden in a circle.
The name Rikugien means ‘six poems garden’ as it is said to reproduce in miniature 88 scenes from famous Japanese poems. The garden was designed by the lord of Kawagoe domain in 1702, who was appointed by the 5th shogun. The garden then became a villa of the founder of Mitsubishi in 1878, with the Iwasaki family gifting the garden to Tokyo City in 1938. The garden then became a cultural heritage importance and special place of scenic beauty in 1953.
Walking
around the fabulous garden, with a wide range of viewing spots, it was clear to
see why it was one of Tokyo’s most beautiful, landscaped gardens, with its
central pond and surrounding hills, landscaped and forested areas, all
connected together by footpaths.
When we visited the garden, it was early morning, and at the time it was very peaceful and tranquil…we even found a lovely spot for our breakfast! Walking around the winding paths the garden is not massive in size, yet spacious but seems full, if that makes sense! It was amazing being in the garden, as there was no sense that we were in the largest city in the world!
When we visited the garden, it was early morning, and at the time it was very peaceful and tranquil…we even found a lovely spot for our breakfast! Walking around the winding paths the garden is not massive in size, yet spacious but seems full, if that makes sense! It was amazing being in the garden, as there was no sense that we were in the largest city in the world!
After a nice morning, we then moved on and headed back to the station to catch our second local train to our next destination. The trains cover a full circle route around the inner Tokyo and run regularly, as we always plan our itineraries in advance, making it easy to go from one place to the next.
