Kiyosumi Gardens

Today's pick up, Kiyosumi Garden is one of the unskippable sites in Kiyosumi Shirakawa area.

From my point of view, it seems that the presence of the garden has made an impact on the way the neighborhood is for years.

While nowadays it's already become a hot spot among hipsters due to a series of newly opened coffee roasters, basically the area has been a calm community for years.

No Input Required

Your visit to this garden will be really enjoyable and memorable thanks to its stunningly beautiful landscape even without any input beforehand.

But make sure to get this brochure (available in some languages) at the entrance, where you pay an admission of ¥150. It includes a map of entire facility.

Historical Facts

According to the brochure, it is believed that the premise was originally owned by Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, the legendary merchant in Edo-period. 

And it was between 1716 and 1735 when the foundation of today's garden was conditioned.

Unique Feature

One particular characteristic which caught my attention was its effective arrangement of various stones, collected from all over Japan. 

Though there are some similar Japanese gardens not only in Tokyo but also other parts of Japan, the emphasis on stones at this level might be quite unique.

Take Advantage Of It!

If you're blessed with blue sky on your visit to the garden, make sure to take reflection on the pond into consideration in your photography.

Be patient and wait until a wind completely stops. That's the timing when you capture the moment of perfect reflection.

Plants and Birds

Unfortunately, there's one thing I wasn't able to see on the day was flowers in bloom. 

The flower calendar on the brochure shows what kind of flowers could be available in what month. According to it, generally two to three types of flowers seem to bloom except Dec & Jan. 

And probably you can see some different types of birds depending on a season you visit in. 

Of course, now I'm already planning to revisit the garden in spring to see the beautiful combination of cherry blossoms and migratory birds!

Thanks for reading.

Kiyosumi Gardens 

Website 

Access

Kiyosumi Shirakawa Sta.

Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line

Toei Subway Oedo Line

Location

Produced and Posted by

3e-Tokyo Project