Shinjuku Gyoen
新宿御苑
A 58-hectare imperial garden beside Shinjuku's skyscrapers, with Japanese, French and English gardens and over a thousand cherry trees, Tokyo's top spot for cherry blossom viewing and picnics.
Shinjuku Gyoen was originally the residence of the Naito family, lords of Takatō Domain in Shinano during the Edo period. It was remodelled as an imperial garden in the Meiji era and opened to the public in 1949. Covering 58 hectares, it has three styles: a Japanese garden, a French formal garden and an English landscape garden. It also has a large greenhouse and the historic Taiwan-kaku pavilion, a former imperial summer retreat. About 65 varieties and more than 1,000 cherry trees bloom here, from the early-flowering kanzakura in February to the double-flowered cherries of late April, and the blossom season lasts longer than elsewhere in Tokyo. When the Somei Yoshino cherries bloom in late March, the great lawn of the English garden is covered with picnic mats. It is Tokyo's most comfortable cherry blossom spot, and it is quieter than Ueno Park, though alcohol is prohibited. Autumn brings ginkgo-lined avenues and maple leaves, and the Japanese garden's autumn colours peak in late November. Admission is 500 yen. During the cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons, online reservations are required for entry. Same-day reservations are possible, but popular dates fill up. The garden has a Starbucks and a tea house, and you can picnic on the lawns. Bringing your own food is fine, but alcohol and ball games are prohibited. The garden is closed on Mondays, or the following day when Monday is a public holiday. Access: about 5 minutes on foot from Shinjuku Gyoen-mae Station on the Marunouchi Line, or about 10 minutes on foot from the South Exit of JR Shinjuku Station. Allow about 2 hours. You can have lunch in Shinjuku, or go for izakaya drinks in Kabukicho or Omoide Yokocho in the evening. Note: entry closes at 16:00 or 18:00, depending on the season. Alcohol and drones are prohibited in the garden.
Opening hours
09:00–16:00 (extended to 17:30/18:30 in spring and autumn); closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Kabukicho, Shinjuku
- Omoide Yokocho
- Meiji Jingu
- Takeshita Street, Harajuku
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory
- Shibuya Crossing & Shibuya Sky
- Roppongi Hills & Tokyo City View
- teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills)