Rikugien Gardens

Rikugien is a landscape garden created in 1695 by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, soba-yonin (chamberlain and aide) of fifth Edo shogun Tsunayoshi, who gifted the land. It took seven years for Yoshiyasu to complete the spacious garden, which was designed to allow appreciation while freely circling the pond. The garden area, originally flat, became an atmospheric scene of Japanese aestheticism with spacious ponds reflecting verdant trees, and tsukiyama or raised mountains symbolizing the relationship between man and woman. Weeping cherry trees blooming around late March are another draw. Edohigan (Cerasus spachiana var. spachiana forma ascendens) is a genus of Cerasus, known as weeping cherry, with blossoms cascading like waterfalls on pliant branches. The garden's significant artistic value earned its selection as a Special Site of Scenic Beauty. Guided tours are available for overseas visitors. A seven-minute walk from Komagome Station on either the JR Yamanote or Tokyo Metro Namboku Line.