Location: Ikebukuro
Top Things to do in Ikebukuro
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The 6 Best Gardens in Ikebukuro, Kanto
Tradition collides with pop culture in Tokyo, where you can reverently wander ancient temples before rocking out at a karaoke bar. Wake up before the sun to catch the lively fish auction at the Tsukiji Market, then refresh with a walk beneath the cherry blossom trees that line the Sumida River. Spend some time in the beautiful East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, then brush up on your Japanese history at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Don’t forget to eat as much sushi, udon noodles, and wagashi (Japanese sweets) as your belly can handle.
Restaurants in Tokyo
1. Rikugien Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 965 reviews
Reviewed By Sarah53187 - Dunedin, New Zealand
A large, traditional Japanese landscape garden with lots of paths for walking & viewing the garden from different angles. A large pond in the middle is dotted with islands, while paths wind around the island, up and down hills, through trees, over bridges - all creating the illusion of the garden being far bigger than it is. I visited in the mid-afternoon on a sunny day when the large weeping cherry tree was in bloom - it was gorgeous! The garden was surprisingly not very busy. I imagine that if you came early in the morning it would be really quiet.
2. Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 445 reviews
Reviewed By hfot2 - Vermont, United States
Chinzanso was quite nice, though past peak when we visited in early December. It is quite wonderful that the hotel opens up such a lovely place for free for visitors who are not guests of the hotel. We dressed up for our visit, since the hotel has such a posh clientele. (We were dismayed by, and a bit embarrassed for, the really sloppily dressed and loud folks who arrived with a tour group no less!) The garden is a wedding venue. We saw at least 3 weddings and a few wedding photo shoots - a stunningly dressed bride placed perfectly with the pond or red trees as a background. We had to be careful as we walked around the pond taking care that we didn’t end up in one of the wedding photos. The weddings themselves produced among other things distant photo ops of family groups, brides having rose petals thrown at them, and women dressed in elegant kimonos In addition to the pond, there are lots of things to see - momiji, of course, an ancient and sacred tree, stone lanterns and statues, a pagoda and more. Each path brings different landscape views in this lovely stroll garden. There were even signs in Japanese and English describing some of the statues, buildings and trees Definitely worth a visit.
3. Mejiro Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 105 reviews
Reviewed By hfot2 - Vermont, United States
Mejiro Garden was a real treat and a stunning hidden gem for foliage. Color in other gardens we visited in Tokyo was not great this year, but the day we visited Mejiro Garden it was at absolute peak. The garden is small and it takes a bit of work to find, but it is worth the effort. It is a short walk from Mejiro Station. There are signs posted along the street showing you where to go; the first is on the corner of Bakery Antendo. The walk is about 10 minutes through a primarily residential area with a few shops including “Ballerina” selling ballet costumes. The garden is surrounded by a wall - be careful not to walk right past it. No other Westerners were there when we visited. Several Japanese tourists, a small group of local senior citizens, a wedding photo shoot, and a small group of Chinese twenty-somethings were the only people there. The garden surrounds a large pond with a walking path going around 3 sides. The stroll garden has all the standard landscape features including an artificial hill, a small pagoda, a waterfall, a pavilion and wonderful plantings that in autumn were amazingly colorful. There are numerous photos ops from various locations on the path and there were at least 3 other photographers there while we visited. At the far end there is a grassy area which had several food stalls around it - all closed for business when we visited. On the fourth side of the pond there are benches underneath a veranda; the seniors were sitting on the these benches admiring the view. Above the veranda is a building which looked as if it could rented for functions and it also included a children’s play school. The bride and groom rested in the building after having their photos taken in the pavilion above the pond. There was no entry fee for the garden. The lovely ladies at the entrance asked us about our Japan trips, our visit to their garden, and then gave us a small gift.
4. Koishikawa Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 141 reviews
Reviewed By davidmR4183QL - Vero Beach, United States
This is a real botanical garden, displaying a lot of plant species from around the world, but also featuring a lot of Japan, with a generous collection of flowering cherries, relaxed Japanese gardens, and some very impressive untrimmed crape myrtles. A new conservatory, almost certainly for display, is under construction. The garden is not close to a subway or rail station, so requires some walking or other transportation. The entrance isn't on a main street, so some kind of map is advisable. In the vicinity of the gate, the garden's wall is distinctive and so are the trees, so there's no mistaking that you are approaching. Main paths are easily navigated, but a substantial hill slope means that some routes are pretty much restricted to people who can walk; wheel chairs might be dubious. The garden has plenty of space for children to romp.
5. Higo-Hosokawa Garden
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 75 reviews
〜Suburban Residence of Daimyo, to the Hosokawa Family〜 This place had been used as a residential site for a retainer of the Shogunate since the mid-Edo period. In the late Edo period, the suburban residence of the Shimizu family, one of the three counts of the Tokugawa family, was located here. Later, it became the suburban residence of the Hitotsubashi family and then that of the Hosokawa family, the feudal lord of Higo Kumamoto (540,000 koku). 〜Establishment of the Park〜 After the Second World War, the owner of the site changed several times. In September 1961, a Tokyo metropolitan park opened on the site, and in April 1975, the jurisdiction over the park was transferred to Bunkyo City. The view from Shouseikaku has remained the same since the Meiji period: a pond in front, a grove on the left slope, and some lanterns. Comparison between the view and the picture passed down to the Hosokawa family will show the history of the garden.
