Hamarikyu Gardens

Hamarikyu Gardens, A Seawater Pond Garden Of The Edo Shoguns In Tokyo Beside The Sumida River Mouth, With A Tea House On An Island, An Old Duck Hunting Ground, Flower Fields And The Shiodome Skyscrapers Rising Behind. A Calm Island In The City. · Tokyo, Tokyo

Hamarikyu Gardens is a walled garden in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, where the Sumida River meets Tokyo Bay. It began in the 1600s as a feudal lord's villa, was rebuilt as a garden of the Tokugawa shoguns, later served as an imperial villa, and opened to the public in 1946 - confirm the dates. Its centrepiece is a seawater pond fed from the bay, so the water level rises and falls with the tide; it is often called the last tidal pond garden in Tokyo - confirm. A tea house stands on an island in the pond, reached by a wooden bridge, and serves matcha and a sweet - confirm. Old duck-hunting blinds, a large old pine and seasonal flower fields fill the grounds, with the glass towers of Shiodome rising behind the trees. It suits a slow hour between Ginza, Tsukiji and Asakusa, and it is a gentle start for first-time visitors. It is worth the entry fee if you like old gardens or a water bus ride, and less so in the heat of midsummer, when there is little shade. Allow one and a half to two hours.

1-1 Hamarikyu-teien, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, a short walk from Shiodome or Shimbashi Station, with a river boat to Asakusa from the garden pier, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

The garden is commonly open from about 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry roughly 30 minutes before closing, and it closes around the New Year holidays - confirm exact times and any other closed days. A small entry fee is paid at the gate; cash is the safe choice, though cards may work. The nearest stations are Shiodome and Shimbashi, each roughly a 10 to 15 minute walk, and Tsukijishijo is also close - confirm the best exit. Suica, PASMO and ICOCA work on the trains. The Tokyo water bus to Asakusa leaves from the garden pier on set sailings, so check the timetable and buy a ticket on the day or book ahead for busy weekends. Nothing else needs booking.

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