Shinjuku Gyoen a must-visit

Shinjuku Gyoen is located close to Shinjuku Sanchome station right in the heart of Shinjuku. But why is Shinjuku Gyoen a must-visit? Well for a start it is a beautiful park! And for the rest, it includes two tea houses, a french style rose garden and a massive greenhouse. So if that is not reason enough we don’t know!

Best time to visit?

Shinjuku Gyoen is really beautiful at any time of the year! With its variety of places and setups, you will always find it calming and refreshing. But of course, we think it is particularly worth coming between March and April with the Cherry Blossoms viewings. As well as October and December when you can see the autumn leaves in Tokyo. 

And to be honest, early to mid-December is one of our favorite time! There are fewer people, as we are in low-season (have a look at the best time to visit Tokyo). And although autumn has already passed, the autumn leaves are still visible. Just entering their last stage and you can still see the beautiful array of red and yellow. It is really every nature lover’s dream.

How to enjoy Shinjuku Gyoen

First, we have to tell you, this Park is not free, there is a 500¥ entrance fee. But it is worth it!

Get your ticket from one of the many Machines, enter and grab one of the multi-lingual maps and you are ready to go.

This Park closes quite early, at 4.30 pm and we are honest, try to have at least one hour. Or if you do want to grab something to eat, have a tea make it 2h.

Both, the restaurant and teahouses close very early. So if you do want to visit them, make sure you arrive before 3.30 pm, actually make that 3 pm, as otherwise, they may not serve you after. So if you get to the park late and want to grab a tea/food, you may want to do that first.

If you are not hungry, head straight to the Greenhouse with its futuristic look. You will love the view from inside out. Especially from the tiny bridge!

The Tea House

We highly recommend visiting the Rakuu-tei Tea House while you are here. It will give you an opportunity to experience a very quick version of the traditional tea ceremony.

Basically you get to taste the matcha tea accompanied by a traditional wagashi in a peaceful surrounding. But without the lengthy ceremony. Have a look at our traditional tea ceremony post to learn about the difference…

And its good value, a bowl of Matcha and the small Japanese sweet are 700¥. The funny thing is you pay outside at a machine and bring your ticket inside (Ramen style). Be careful, the door is a bit stuck, so if you cannot open it straight away don’t give up.

Inside it is peaceful, not a lively place, you could almost hear a needle drop. But as mentioned before, the idea of the tea ceremony is the same. A place to relax. 

As we entered an older lady dressed in a bright yellow kimono took our ticket and appeared shortly after with a beautiful small Japanese dessert. Another minute passed and the green tea was served. Just a beautiful moment.

The Restaurant

The restaurant has a real community vibe to it. And its ecological menu has some interesting items, as well as a few vegan options. Most of their mains are below 1000¥, with a nice variety of curries and other Japanese dishes.

Service was a little bit slow, so keep that in mind if you arrive late, we would recommend the Tea House over the Restaurant…

The Greenhouse

This also closes early at 4 pm, so another one to check out first if you come late. It is not huge, you can probably blaze through it in about 20-30min. But there are some great shots you can take from the inside out. So if you are a photographer, you will like this!

The Old Gyotei or Taiwan Pavilion

This is probably the most photogenic place in the whole park, with its mirror-like lake just in front of this beautiful Pavilion.

Stay here for a little while and take in the beauty, as it provides one of the best views in Shinjuku Gyoen. We hope you have your Cameras ready, as this is one Photo you will want to take!

Good to keep in mind

If you decide to visit on a tight schedule, we recommend 1-2h. Depending on whether you eat or have tea, that will obviously add to the time. But you could easily stay here for an afternoon, especially if you like taking photographs.

And just to say it one more time, come early, as otherwise you will be rushed and this Garden is really a place to relax and take it easy.

Web

https://www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/index.html

Address

11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014

Opening Hours