Kiyosumi Gardens

Kiyosumi Teien, designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1979, is a stroll-style garden featuring miniature hills and dry landscaping. The cornerstone of the garden is a huge pond (”sensui” in Japanese) that, containing three islets and the shadows of trees, creates stunning vistas. Water for the pond water once came from the Sumida River and now comes from rainwater. Extending into the pond is the sukiya-style (architectural aesthetics developed by tea masters in the 16th–17th centuries) Ryotei tea house, designated an Outstanding Historical Building by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Other highlights of the garden are the artificial mountain (Fuji-san), a typical motif of many Japanese gardens, its sides covered with azaleas and other vegetation to denote a waving sea of clouds, and the Japanese-style rock garden made up of assorted stones and gems. A three-minute walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station on either the Toei Oedo or Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Lines.