There are not many places that struck me as much as this park that me and my sister explored on a wonderfully sunny day in Tokyo, and that is why I think it deserves a whole post to itself. Not only this place seemed to come straight out of a Ghibli movie, it was also very quiet and far from the busy streets of Tokyo.
The Rikugien gardens are located in one of the central wards of Tokyo, and I have to say it was not an area that we visited in depth. It was, however, really worth the time and small detour that we took to get there, as to this day, it is still one of my favourite things to see in Tokyo.
This park is a Japanese style landscape garden, and it is said to be one of the most beautiful in Tokyo. It was built in the eighteenth century and its name translates to “Garden of Six Poems”, because its ground reproduces 88 scenes from a selection of six classical poems.
Walking around there can take up to a few hours, especially if you want to take the time to admire everything and take in all the wonderful scenery. There is also a little shop inside the garden where you can buy very cute things, as well as some refreshing drinks.
We went there in June and luckily the weather was wonderful. I’m pretty sure the gardens also look amazing in spring, but apparently autumn is the best season to go there as all the trees change into bright colours.
If this park struck me that much, I think it is because when you walk around there you don’t feel like you’re in the centre of one of the busiest cities of the entire world. Everything is peaceful and quiet, you can walk along big ponds and jump over cute streams, sit down in the shade of trees and take a moment to relax. There was also a man meditating on a bench!
Of course, you also feel like you might meet Totoro right around the corner of one of the many paths that allow you to discover the gardens, and that is a huge plus!
It’s for all of these reasons that these gardens are the number one thing that I recommend to everyone going to Tokyo, because they are not that touristy and absolutely beautiful!
