Tokyo Gardens

The photos in this slideshow were taken by Michael Pietrusewsky on November 10 & 11, 2024 while on a visit to Tokyo, Japan. Four gardens are featured: The Imperial Palace East Gardens, Rikugien Garden, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, and Hibiya Park, all located in central Tokyo. This slideshow also includes a few photos of the Meiji Jingu Gaien Gingko Avenue and an udon noddle shop where we stopped for lunch.
The Imperial Palace East Gardens
The Imperial Palace East Gardens (皇居東御苑, Kōkyo Higashi Gyoen) is a historical garden in the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The current Imperial Palace is the former site of Edo Castle, which was the residence of the Tokugawa feudal lords who ruled Japan from the beginning of the 17th to the middle of the 19th centuries. It became home to the Japanese emperors after they were restored as head of government in 1867. Prior to this, the heirs to the shogun dynasty lived here. The massive stone walls found in the gardens are the ruins of Edo castle. Ōte-mon, once the principal entrance to Edo Castle, now serves as the entrance the Imperial Palace East Gardens.
Look for the cloud-pruned pine trees common throughout the grounds. Cloud pruning, or Niwaki, originated in Japan, and describes a style of pruning trees to make them resemble clouds. The curious cummerbunds many pine trees are wearing are seasonal attire applied to control pests. The straw matting is wrapped around the trunks in early winter to protect them against pine moths, whose caterpillars use them as a warm place in which to hibernate. Just before the moths emerge in early spring, the matting is removed and burnt, pests and all.
Rikugien Garden
Rikugi-en (六義園) is a metropolitan park in Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The name Rikugi-en means "garden of six principles", referring to the six elements in waka poetry, based on the traditional division of Chinese poetry into six categories. The gardens consist of a small pond, trees, and a hill. The construction of the gardens took place between 1695 and 1702, and was headed by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu by permission of the fifth Tokugawa shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Rikugien is a typical example of a daimyo garden from the Edo period
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑) is one of Tokyo's largest and most popular parks. Located a short walk from Shinjuku Station, the park's spacious lawns, meandering walking paths and tranquil scenery provide a relaxing escape from the busy urban center around it. Shinjuku Gyoen originated during the Edo Period (1603-1868) as a feudal lord's Tokyo residence. Later it was converted into a botanical garden before being transferred to the Imperial Family in 1903 who used it for recreation and the entertainment of guests. The park was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 1949 as a public park.
Shinjuku Gyoen is comprised of three different types of gardens. The oldest is a traditional Japanese landscape garden featuring large ponds dotted with islands and bridges. Well-manicured shrubs and trees surround the water together with several pavilions and the Kyu Goryotei (also called the Taiwan Pavilion) which was built on the occasion of the wedding of the Showa Emperor. A chrysanthemum exhibit is held during the first two weeks of November in the Japanese garden with numerous flower displays.
The park's other main gardens include a symmetrically arranged, formal French garden, and an English landscape garden featuring wide, open lawns surrounded by flowering cherry trees. The rest of the park consists of forested areas, lawns and several structures. There is also a greenhouse with many tropical and subtropical flowers.
Hibiya Park
Hibiya Park (日比谷公園, Hibiya Kōen) is a park in Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan covering an area of 40 acres.
Meiji Jingu Gaien Gingko Avenue
146 ginkgo trees are planted about 30 feet apart, creating unique scenery when walking through this tunnel steeped in yellow (mid-November to early December) at Meiji Jingu Gaien Gingko Avenue. The expert in early modern landscape architecture, Yoshinobu Orishimo, is responsible for this sight-seeing spot.
Music track: “Sakura dance background music, traditional Japanese”
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