Top 10 Things to do in Mejiro, Kanto

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.