Tokyo Top 5 Gardens
Open map ↗Kiyosumi Gardens
Kee-yoh-soo-mee. The founder of Mitsubishi shipped in prized stones from all over Japan, and you can hop right across the pond on the stepping stones. About 20,000 people are said to have survived the 1923 earthquake by sheltering here, and today it's usually the least crowded of these five.
Hamarikyu Gardens
Hah-mah-ree-kyoo. A shogun family's garden from 1654 with a pond that fills with seawater from Tokyo Bay and rises and falls with the tide, with the Shiodome skyscrapers right behind it. Have matcha and a sweet in the teahouse on the island, and consider arriving by water bus from Asakusa.
Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens
Koh-ee-shee-kah-wah koh-rah-koo-en. Begun in 1629, Tokyo's oldest surviving samurai-lord garden sits right next to Tokyo Dome, and its name comes from a Chinese saying that a good ruler worries before his people do and enjoys himself only after them. Find the Full-Moon Bridge (Engetsukyo), whose arch and its reflection make a perfect circle.
Rikugien Gardens
Ree-koo-ghee-en. Designed by the shogun's right-hand man and finished in 1702, this strolling garden recreates 88 scenes from famous Japanese poems around one big pond. Come in spring for the giant weeping cherry or in late autumn for the red maples, when the garden also opens at night and is lit up.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Sheen-joo-koo gyoh-en. A former imperial garden that's three gardens in one, with a French formal garden, an English lawn and a Japanese pond garden, and one of Tokyo's best spots for cherry blossoms and fall color. Picnics on the lawn are welcome, but alcohol isn't allowed, so leave the beer at the hotel.