Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

The garden was originally created by Yorifusa Tokugawa, the founding member of the Mito-Tokugawa family in the early Edo period (1603－1868) and completed by its second feudal lord, Mitsukuni Mito; it is a circuit pond garden with an artificial hill blessed with the beauty of trees and water. The pond (Daisensui) is the center of the landscape and represents Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, and it is said that people used to enjoy boating on the pond in the old days. The lake, hill, river, and pasture revoke various scenic places in Japan and China, and you can enjoy viewing the scenery and landscapes as you follow the walking path. In the garden is a big 70-year-old tree of weeping cherry, which creates an impressive scenery when it blooms in spring. Seasonal colors such as plum and cherry blossoms, Japanese irises, and autumn foliage make the garden landscape even more magnificent. In 1952, the Korakuen garden was designated a National Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. There are only two gardens that have received a double designation among Tokyo municipal gardens; one is the Koishikawa Korakuen garden and the other is the Hamarikyu Onshi Teien garden. It is a three-minute walk from the Toei Subway Oedo Line's Iidabashi Station and an eight-minute walk from the JR's Iidabashi Station or Suidobashi Station.