Hama Rikyu Gardens

When you are in a middle of «concrete jungle» a.k.a. busy city with high risers and not much greenery, you start to crave the peaceful scenery with lots of trees and flowers, and just simply want to be surrounded by beautiful greens. Such place do exist in Tokyo as well, it is gorgeous, peaceful, and amazingly beautiful, and pretty large space considering how small Tokyo really is, and this oasis is surrounded by modern buildings, which gives really interesting contracting view.
Inside this garden is a nice big pond, and a teahouse called Nakajima no Ochaya. They are sitting in the pond, giving that beautiful view all around. They serve Matcha tea and traditional Japanese sweets.
You can either sit on the tatami floor, and have the compete Japanese tea ceremony experience, or you can sit outside terrace and enjoy the view while having the tea and Japanese confectionery. Either way, it will be a fabulous experience! Read my full review of the teahouse on my blog, foodlovergirl.

This garden was originally a hawking and duck hunting ground but in 1654, Matsudaira Tsunashige, the feudal lord of Kofu received the land as a gift from the shogun and decided to build a residence here. Tsunashige’s son, Tsunatoyo who became Tokugawa Ienobu became the 6^th Tokugawa shogun and this park became the property of the Tokugawa Family and the name was changed to «Hama-​Goten» which means «Beach Palace» and over the years, the shoguns continued to improve the garden.
The Great Kanto Earhqake and the World War bombings did a lot of damage to the garden. On November3, 1945, The Imperial family donated the gardens to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and after a lot of repairs the garden was reopened on April 1 st, 1946. Finally, on November 22^nd, 1952 Hamarikyu was designated as a site of great cultural and historical value.
1. Shioiri-​no-​ike
The water in the pond is seawater drawn from Tokyo bay and changes its appearance by ebb and flow of the tide. This pond is the only remaining seawater pond in Tokyo. There are many different types of saltwater fish in the pond, like black mullet, sea bass, goby and eel. You can also see crabs and wharf roaches and crawling among the barnacles on the rocks of the shore. Birds like the white and gray heron can be seen hunting in the pond.
2. Kamoba-​Duck hunting Sites.
In Hamarikyu there are two duck hunting sites. One is the «Koshin-​do kamoba» and the other is the «Shinsen-​za kamoba» was built in 1791. These duck hunting sights have many narrow trenches that were designed to isolate ducks and make them easier to catch. Duck hunters would lure the ducks as grain and seeds. When the ducks entered the trenches and the time was right the hunters would capture there birds with nets.
In 1935, a grave was built to console the spirits of the ducks that were hunted and killed. This grave is known as the «kamozuka»
3. Nakajima no Ochaya
The Teahouse was first built in 1707, Shoguns, and their guests never got tired of the relaxed atmosphere and the wonderful view. The Teahouse was renovated in 1983. Legend has it that in the past you could see the Boso Peninsula in the distance. They also say that the Teahouse is a great place to watch the moon. Currently, visitors can enjoy green tea and sweets here for a reasonable price of 500 yen.
4. 300-​year pine
This tree was planted by Shogun Ienobu 300 years ago to celebrate the major renovation of the gardens. It is propped up on frames and is cared for meticulously. Its thick branches spread out quite low creating a very unique looking tree.

We let the grandparents take Logan on a stroll while Gem and I sat around and did absolutely nothing. Easily the most calm and relaxing part of our trip. There are views, history and serenity with every step you take. The entrance is really cheap and I recommend grabbing lunch and having a picnic anywhere at this park.

We went here on a very hot day but still managed to walk to the large pond and around some trails. I really liked all the oddly shaped trees. Be sure to see the one that is 300 years old. The trails are well maintained and the park itself is an oasis of beauty in the middle of urban density. The park has a modest entry fee but it is worth it. I would recommend to try to walk the park on a cool day or maybe in the evening when the heat and humidity are less.

Easily my favorite garden/​park in all of Tokyo. This place is huge, but almost every single step you take here will offer something new. From being able to see how ducks used to be captured (poor ducks) to trees of unimaginable beauty.
They give you an audio guide if you so chose that will help you out with what each section means and what history you’re walking through. It was fairly cheap as well, so you won’t be spending much to attend this beautiful location.
There are portions out in the open so expect to get hot at multiple intervals. Either way, a beautiful location that I’d advise anyone in Tokyo to check out.

we arrived from one of the boat tours. I don’t remember the price but it seemed reasonable at the time. the park is beautifully maintained. there are a lot of normal trees that are styled in the manner of bonsai, so it’s like looking at a gigantic bonsai park. really interesting. it’s not huge so easy to walk all the pathways. there is one 300 year old pine tree which is really impressive. also a tea room, but it seemed too touristy to have an authentic feel. worth the visit

A little oasis of calm and beauty in the city centre. It’s the perfect spot to chill after stuffing yourself with sushi at the neighbouring Tsijiki fish market. You can also get the water bus up the river to Asakusa (Sensoji) too.
There is a small entrance fee of ¥300, which is nothing, the garden is beautifully maintained. There is a perfect little teahouse floating in the middle of the lake, we were too full from a sushi breakfast, but it looked idyllic.

Lovely grounds about a 10 minute walk from the tsukiji fish market. Extremely peaceful and expansive. At the far end there is a dock where you can catch a boat to asakusa. Really made for a perfect day.

What a great diversion…
We decided to stop by after visiting the Tsukiji Fish Market. It’s about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the market. The entrance fee is reasonable and you get a pretty neat GPS-​based audio-​guide that will automatically load the audio clip based on your location. There’s also a colour screen for viewing maps or short videos of the area. The guide also has a suggested route and allows you to track your movement.
While it’s a nice garden by itself, you really wouldn’t begin to appreciate the history here without the guide. It’s quite fascinating to hear the historical events that took place. And after you’re all done, go to the teahoues for a nice break.
You should budget at least 1 hour here but you can easily spend 2+ hours.

This garden is the perfect place to get away from the sky scrapers of Tokyo and relax. There is a modest cost to enter the garden. There is a tea house too though I didn’t go for tea. I just strolled around admiring the plants. It was also fun to watch Japanese painters who held umbrellas in one hand-​because it was raining-​and painted with the other hand.

This had been a Japanese garden owned by the shogun during the Edo period.
It is located near Ginza and Shimbashi, so when you visit the area you won’t want to miss it.
You’ll feel a mix of old and new Japan, because you can see the skyscrapers, Tokyo Bay and old pine trees at the same time!
I went there last summer during the middle of the day and it was hot… but it’s very good and peaceful memory. I still remember the scenery and the taste of «Ampan». (I bought «Ampan» at Kimuraya in Ginza; I recommend Kimuraya too!).