Tokyo's Tranquil Parks and Gardens
28/05/2024
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With its sprawling urban landscape and round-the-clock energy, Tokyo might not at first strike visitors as the most tranquil of cities, but pockets of calm do exist. Beeline for one of these parks or gardens, where you might just discover inner peace, and Zen-some.
Meiji Shrine
Exquisitely simple and peaceful, this Shinto shrine in Yoyogi Park is the most important spiritual site in Tokyo and although firmly on the tourist trail, if you time your visit right (hint: go early weekday mornings) it’s one of the city’s most serene experiences. Upon arriving, pass through the gargantuan gate and take a slow wander through the vast, tree-shaded temple surrounds – stop to write and hang a prayer tablet should the experience move you. Afterwards, exit the shrine grounds and meander into the park where you can choose a nice spot under the trees to relax amid the lush greenery.
Nezu Museum
Tucked back from the manic main streets of Minato-ku is this Kengo Kuma-designed culture nest set in its own serene secret garden. Inside, you’ll find beautiful Asian artifacts, a twee collection of traditional teaware and monthly-changing feature exhibitions. Outside, it’s all maple-shaded, moss-covered paths, tranquil water features, lazily swimming goldfish and rustic teahouses for pre-booked cha ceremonies.
Shinjuku Gyoen
In spring, this central and spacious park is bloomin' beautiful, but she also impresses in autumn with fiery foliage crowning the momijiyama (maple mountain). Whatever time of year you're here, you can get snap-happy at the Kyu Goryotei pavilion, then take a peek at the ultra-mod greenhouse before throwing down a rug and meditating, reading or lunching on the vast lawns. Just remember, consuming alcohol in the park is officially forbidden, though a discreetly concealed bottle of bubbles will likely go unnoticed.
Rikugien
While there is some degree of elemental poetry in almost every Japanese landscape, the expressive influence is more literal in Edo-period garden Rikugien (translation, “Six Poems Garden”), where 88 scenes from famous verses have been reproduced in miniature. Another maple-ravishing autumnal spot, Rikugien comprises rolling manmade hills, forests and pathways set around a central pond, with sweet teahouse Fukiage Chaya sitting pretty on the pond’s northwestern shore.
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
While the museum itself offers a well-curated stash of more than 1000 permanent and rotating works in an Art Deco-style white mansion, the lush and tranquil gardens are the go-to for ultimate relaxation. Open to the public, the clipped-lawn grounds feature clean-lined sculptures, while the leaf-shaped cafe is a pic-perfect flop-spot overlooking the museum courtyard.
Meiji Shrine / 1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho / Shibuya-ku / +81 3-3379-5511 / meijijingu.or.jp
Nezu Museum / 6 Chome-5-1 Minamiaoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3-3400-2536 / nezu-muse.or.jp/en
Shinjuku Gyoen / 11 Naitomachi / Shinjuku-ku / +81 3-3350-0151
Rikugien / 6 Chome-16-3 Honkomagome / Bunkyo-ku / +81 3-3941-2222
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art / 4 Chome-7-25 Kitashinagawa / Shinagawa-ku / +81 3-3445-0651 / haramuseum.or.jp/en
Meiji Shrine
Exquisitely simple and peaceful, this Shinto shrine in Yoyogi Park is the most important spiritual site in Tokyo and although firmly on the tourist trail, if you time your visit right (hint: go early weekday mornings) it’s one of the city’s most serene experiences. Upon arriving, pass through the gargantuan gate and take a slow wander through the vast, tree-shaded temple surrounds – stop to write and hang a prayer tablet should the experience move you. Afterwards, exit the shrine grounds and meander into the park where you can choose a nice spot under the trees to relax amid the lush greenery.
Nezu Museum
Tucked back from the manic main streets of Minato-ku is this Kengo Kuma-designed culture nest set in its own serene secret garden. Inside, you’ll find beautiful Asian artifacts, a twee collection of traditional teaware and monthly-changing feature exhibitions. Outside, it’s all maple-shaded, moss-covered paths, tranquil water features, lazily swimming goldfish and rustic teahouses for pre-booked cha ceremonies.
Shinjuku Gyoen
In spring, this central and spacious park is bloomin' beautiful, but she also impresses in autumn with fiery foliage crowning the momijiyama (maple mountain). Whatever time of year you're here, you can get snap-happy at the Kyu Goryotei pavilion, then take a peek at the ultra-mod greenhouse before throwing down a rug and meditating, reading or lunching on the vast lawns. Just remember, consuming alcohol in the park is officially forbidden, though a discreetly concealed bottle of bubbles will likely go unnoticed.
Rikugien
While there is some degree of elemental poetry in almost every Japanese landscape, the expressive influence is more literal in Edo-period garden Rikugien (translation, “Six Poems Garden”), where 88 scenes from famous verses have been reproduced in miniature. Another maple-ravishing autumnal spot, Rikugien comprises rolling manmade hills, forests and pathways set around a central pond, with sweet teahouse Fukiage Chaya sitting pretty on the pond’s northwestern shore.
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
While the museum itself offers a well-curated stash of more than 1000 permanent and rotating works in an Art Deco-style white mansion, the lush and tranquil gardens are the go-to for ultimate relaxation. Open to the public, the clipped-lawn grounds feature clean-lined sculptures, while the leaf-shaped cafe is a pic-perfect flop-spot overlooking the museum courtyard.
Meiji Shrine / 1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho / Shibuya-ku / +81 3-3379-5511 / meijijingu.or.jp
Nezu Museum / 6 Chome-5-1 Minamiaoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3-3400-2536 / nezu-muse.or.jp/en
Shinjuku Gyoen / 11 Naitomachi / Shinjuku-ku / +81 3-3350-0151
Rikugien / 6 Chome-16-3 Honkomagome / Bunkyo-ku / +81 3-3941-2222
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art / 4 Chome-7-25 Kitashinagawa / Shinagawa-ku / +81 3-3445-0651 / haramuseum.or.jp/en