Best Parks and Gardens in Tokyo: Edo Gardens, Picnics and Seasons

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Researched guide · Checked on Nov 2, 2026

Tokyo is full of green space: Edo-period landscape gardens with ponds and teahouses, big parks for picnics and cherry blossoms, and quiet shrine forests. Here are the best parks and gardens for visitors, what makes each one special and when to go.

Park or garden	Area	Why go	Our guide
Hama-rikyu Gardens	Shiodome, near Tsukiji	An Edo-period garden on Tokyo Bay with a seawater pond and a teahouse on the water	Tsukiji
Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens	Near Tokyo Dome	One of Tokyo’s oldest gardens, completed in 1669, with the Full Moon Bridge	Tokyo Dome
Rikugien Gardens	Komagome, north Tokyo	A strolling garden with a hill view, lit up on some evenings in spring and autumn	See below
Shinjuku Gyoen	Shinjuku	A huge garden with Japanese, English and French styles. Closed on Mondays	Shinjuku
Ueno Park	Ueno	Museums, a zoo and famous cherry blossoms	Ueno
Imperial Palace East Gardens	Tokyo Station	Free gardens inside the palace grounds. Closed Mondays and Fridays	Tokyo Station
Meiji Jingu forest	Harajuku	A shrine in a quiet forest, free to enter	Harajuku
Inokashira Park	Kichijoji	A pond and woodland, near the Ghibli Museum	Kichijoji
Odaiba Seaside Park	Odaiba	A beach promenade with bay views	Odaiba

Traditional Japanese gardens

• Hama-rikyu Gardens: built around a pond that takes in seawater from Tokyo Bay, the only Edo garden to do so. Have tea in the teahouse that seems to float on the pond. It is about 7 minutes on foot from Shiodome Station, and water buses run here from Asakusa. General admission is ¥300.
• Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens: completed in 1669 by the Mito Tokugawa family with the help of a Chinese scholar, it recreates famous Japanese and Chinese landscapes. Look for the Full Moon Bridge (Engetsu-kyo) and the weeping cherry trees by the west gate. General admission is ¥300.
• Rikugien Gardens: a peaceful garden in a residential area, with a hill that looks over the whole garden. Maples and cherry trees make it lovely in autumn and spring, when it is sometimes lit up in the evening. General admission is ¥300.

These gardens are usually open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with last entry 30 minutes before closing, and close over the New Year holidays. Hours change by season, so check before you go.

Japanese gardens compared

Tokyo’s metropolitan gardens are cheap, central and open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) most of the year, and most close from December 29 to January 1. Here is how eleven of them compare. Prices are for adults; elementary school children and younger enter free at most of them.

Garden	Adults	Hours	Nearest station	Known for
Hama-rikyu	¥300	9:00–17:00	Shiodome, about 7 min	A seawater pond and teahouse by the bay
Koishikawa Korakuen	¥300	9:00–17:00	Iidabashi (Oedo Line), about 2 min	One of Tokyo’s oldest gardens, next to Tokyo Dome
Rikugien	¥300	9:00–17:00	Komagome	Autumn light-up (night ticket extra)
Kiyosumi	¥150	9:00–17:00	Kiyosumi-shirakawa, about 3 min	Stepping stones across a pond
Kyu-Shiba-rikyu	¥150	9:00–17:00	JR Hamamatsucho, about 1 min	An Edo garden by the station
Kyu-Furukawa	¥150	9:00–17:00	Kami-Nakazato or Nishigahara, about 7 min	A stone mansion and terraced rose garden
Mukojima-Hyakkaen	¥150	9:00–17:00	Higashi-Mukojima, about 8 min	Tokyo’s only surviving Edo-period flower garden
Tonogayato	¥150	9:00–17:00	JR Kokubunji, about 2 min	A hidden cliffside garden
Kyu-Iwasaki-tei	¥400	9:00–17:00	Yushima, about 3 min	Step inside a Western-style mansion
Kyu-Yasuda	—	9:00–18:00 (October to March)	Ryogoku	A tidal-pond garden next to the sumo arena
Shinjuku Gyoen	¥500	9:00–16:30 (October to mid-March); closed Mondays	Shinjuku	Japanese, English and French gardens

Prices and hours come from each garden’s official site, checked in our individual guides on October 20, 2026. Check before you go, as hours change for seasonal events.

Big parks

• Shinjuku Gyoen: one of the best places in Tokyo to relax, with wide lawns and Japanese, English and French garden styles. There is an entrance fee and it closes on Mondays. See our Shinjuku guide.
• Ueno Park: one of Tokyo’s largest parks, with major museums and Ueno Zoo. See our Ueno guide and Tokyo museums.
• Inokashira Park: a pond and woodland in Kichijoji, a short walk from the Ghibli Museum.

When to go

• Late March to early April: cherry blossoms. See Cherry blossoms in Tokyo.
• Mid-November to early December: autumn leaves, and evening illuminations at some gardens. See Autumn leaves in Tokyo.
• Mid-February: plum blossoms, for example at Seiseki Kamata Umeyashiki Park. See Kamata and Haneda.
• Gardens are quiet and pleasant on weekday mornings all year.

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