Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is one of the largest and most varied parks in central Tokyo, a short walk from the skyscrapers and crowds of Shinjuku. It was once an imperial garden and now combines a traditional Japanese landscape garden, a formal French garden and wide English-style lawns. It is best known for its cherry blossoms in spring, but it is a calm place to walk at any time of year. There is a modest entry fee.
Why visit Shinjuku Gyoen
The land belonged to a feudal lord's residence in the Edo period. In the late 19th and early 20th century it became an imperial garden, used by the imperial family and for official functions, and it was opened to the public after the Second World War. Today it is managed as a national garden by the Ministry of the Environment.
What sets it apart from many Tokyo parks is the mix of styles in one place. You can walk from a pond garden with teahouses and stone lanterns to straight avenues of plane trees in the French section, then out onto open lawns big enough for a picnic, all within a few minutes.
Getting to Shinjuku Gyoen by metro
The garden has three main gates, and the nearest station depends on which one you want:
- Shinjuku-gyoemmae on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line is a few minutes' walk from the Shinjuku Gate on the garden's north side.
- The Okido Gate on the east side is a little further from the same station.
- The Sendagaya Gate on the south side is close to JR Sendagaya Station on the Chuo-Sobu Line and Kokuritsu-Kyogijo on the Toei Oedo Line.
- From the main JR Shinjuku Station it is a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes to the Shinjuku Gate.
Shinjuku Gyoen tickets and opening hours
Shinjuku Gyoen charges an entry fee, which you pay at the gates. In busy seasons it is worth checking whether advance online tickets are available. The garden is normally closed one day a week, usually Monday, but it opens every day during the peak cherry blossom period and the autumn chrysanthemum exhibition. Opening hours vary by season, and the last entry is before closing time. Check the official Shinjuku Gyoen website for current fees, hours and closure days.
A few rules are worth knowing before you go:
- Alcohol is not allowed in the garden, and bags may be checked at the gates during busy seasons.
- Ball games, sports equipment and playground toys are not permitted.
- Picnics are welcome on the lawns, but take your rubbish home with you.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Late March to early April is cherry blossom season. Shinjuku Gyoen has many varieties that bloom at different times, so the season here lasts longer than in many places, but the crowds and queues at the gates are at their biggest. Autumn brings red maples and golden plane trees, usually in late November and early December, as well as the chrysanthemum exhibition. Weekday mornings in any season are the calmest.
Allow at least an hour and a half to walk around the main areas, and half a day if you want to picnic, visit the greenhouse and rest by the ponds.
Highlights in Shinjuku Gyoen
The Japanese traditional garden
Ponds, islands, bridges and carefully pruned pines make up the classic landscape garden on the east side. It is the most photographed area in autumn.
Kyu Goryotei
Also called the Taiwan Pavilion, this Chinese-style pavilion overlooking a pond was built in the late 1920s to mark a royal wedding. It is one of the garden's most distinctive buildings.
The French formal garden
Symmetrical rows of plane trees and a rose garden create a very different, European feel, especially pleasant in autumn when the leaves turn.
The greenhouse
A large modern greenhouse holds tropical and subtropical plants, including orchids, and is a warm escape on cold days.
The English landscape garden
The wide lawns at the centre are where most people spread out during cherry blossom season, with views of the city towers above the trees.
Nearby on the same stop
- Shinjuku-sanchome: department stores, restaurants and small bars a short walk north.
- Omoide Yokocho: narrow alleys of tiny yakitori bars by the west side of Shinjuku Station.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: free observation decks in west Shinjuku.
- Meiji Jingu Gaien: the ginkgo avenue near Sendagaya turns gold in late autumn.
See more around this station on the Shinjuku Gyoen page, or explore every stop on the Tokyo metro map.