Shinjuku Gyoen

Tucked away inside the hustling streets of shinjuku area. It’s a peaceful and beautiful garden worth checking out if you’re going to be around Shinjuku. It’s 200 yens to get in and closes at 16:30. The Japanese garden was my favorite. There are other garden types around as well, but I didn’t get the chance to check those out since they closed at 16:30. Just be sure to spray yourself with bug spray!

If you love parks, trees, gardens and flowers like I do, this is a very nice national park in Shinjuku district of Japan where many tourist seem to go to. We just happened to stay close to this beautiful park. Entrance is really cheap at 200yen which comes to less than $ 2 USD.
A must visit if you come to Japan where you can see large cherry blossom trees of different colors. Beautiful green trees everywhere from carnations to maple trees. I even saw persimmon trees growing here. Some look like large bonsai trees! Loveee it! There is a small bridge pass over a pond. There is a few statues.
What is weird is there is no garbages around the park anywhere?! Usually in the states, close to bench seats for visitors to overlook the park, there are garbages. So a warning to others, bring a plastic bag to put in your backpack for trash when you are in Japan. These people are just too clean here they don’t want garbages displayed in the area! Haha
There are so many open areas and small ponds. It’s like a small Central Park. Well worth the visit!

This was definitely the highlight of our stay in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Only 200 yen admission, and worth 5x the price.
Over 1 square mile (144 acres) of beautiful lawns, gardens, and urban forests.
Be sure to check out the Greenhouse, the English Garden, and the Japanese Tea Garden.
We *could* have spent an entire day here, but opted for about 3 hours.
Come early in the morning when they open, as it will be much less crowded with tourists.

Absolutely breathtaking! We came at a good time when the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom and the whole place felt like you were walking in a dream and you can take a picture of anything and it would look like it could belong in a magazine. Entrance is 200 yen (which is like maybe $ 2) and I highly recommend you bring some food from the Shinjuku station grocery store and have a picnic there. Careful, the park closes at 4:30! Also if you want an English map, ask one of the staff because they only had Japanese maps out.

Such a beautiful escape and break from walking the streets of Tokyo. I’m writing my review after a third visit. 1^st visit was at a Unilocal event. 2^nd and 3^rd during Hanami/​Cherry blossom season.
So why do I come back? 1. Great place to enjoy lunch. 2. Gigantic lawn area great for a family or group picnic. 3. Although crowded it is still peaceful for me. I just find my little corner piece of lawn and relax. 4. Short 8 – 10 min walk from Shinjuku station. 5. The price. At 200 yen it is a bargain. I went ahead and bought the annual pass for 2,000 yen because I figured I’ll be here at least 10 times and also help avoid the ticket lines. 6. The Japanese gardens. Awesome views in the area. Mirror reflecting ponds, koi, cherry blossoms. 7. If you didn’t bring food no worries. Noodles, miso soup, sushi and some ice cream for sale at the food stands/​restaurants.
My last visit I was glad to see the the blossoms still on the trees. When the wind blew it looked like it was snowing without the freezing temperature. Worth checking out. ²⁷⁄₁₀₀ Japan Unilocal Challenge.

This is my favorite park/​garden in all of Tokyo. The park is very large, and neatly divided into several different sections (i.e. English landscape, French gardens, Japanese gardens). There is also a greenhouse which I very much enjoyed. You could easily power-​walk around and see the whole garden in about 1 – 2 hours, or you could also easily take your time and spend a whole morning or afternoon (or longer!) here. There are beautiful trees and flowers everywhere (obviously depends on what time of year you go), and the gardens are always perfectly maintained. There are many families around, but it was still so peaceful and tranquil throughout the park. I highly recommend a visit here if you are in Tokyo! Price is 200 yen per adult.

Maybe we came at a bad time, no flowers blooming, no autumn folige, not much to see. However, I can see why people enjoy this peaceful garden in the middle of busy Shinjuku district of Tokyo.

This place is phenomenally beautiful and well worth the price of admission. Strolling through the park is relaxing, and I could spend hours here. During the summer, everything is lush and calm. I had to restrain myself from spinning around and singing the Sound of Music. A must-​see indeed!

After breakfast at Ichiran, Stephanie S. and I walked over to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We had planned to check out the park because we wanted to get some exercise in (and nothing else was opened!). This park is open from 9am-4:30pm. For just 200 yen (~$ 2), you can get lost in the 144 acres land enjoying nature. But don’t worry, you can grab a guide that comes with a map so you know exactly what you’re looking at!
The Shinjuku Gyoen was first constructed on Lord Naito’s private mansion, but after World War II, they re-​designated it as a national garden and opened it to the public. The park consists of the French Formal Garden, English Landscape Garden, and Japanese Traditional Garden. Besides the main gardens, Shinjuku Gyoen is also home to a «Mother and Child Forest,» several ponds, and a Taiwan Pavilion. They have more than 20,000 trees from all over the world. It was pretty awesome being surrounded by nature but but still being able to see the Shinjuku skyline in the background!
To be honest, because we went in the middle of winter, a lot of the flowers and plants were not full of life. But you can see how well kept the gardens are, which I really appreciated. The lawns were all well manicured, so even though it was a bit too cold, we saw people having picnics.
There were so many places in the park that were perfect for pictures. Apparently, the best time to visit this park is during cherry blossom season and autumn. The pictures of this park don’t do the park justice, so you have to go see it in person!
Although we didn’t get to see the garden in all of its glory, we definitely got some good eye candy. I was kind of sad we didn’t get to see some of the flowers, the green house, or the chrysanthemum garden, but that just means I’ll have to come back during the right seasons!

For the rate of 200yen, it already gets the five stars from me. Cheap and a getaway on a getaway– simply too good to be true. This park is HUGE and has multiple entrances so don’t worry about getting lost.
Speaking of getting lost, I mean, I came here alone and I didn’t want to leave because I literally got lost (even with the amount of signs and maps) but it was just amazing. We don’t have gardens and parks with such lush and color, or water anymore especially in California. So whenever I get a chance to witness something so beautiful, I don’t ever want to leave. There were multiple sections of the garden, including two traditional Japanese tea houses and a green house. I was praying that I got lucky enough to see just the last of the cherry blossoms (AND SO I WAS) especially in the winter time.
This is a great park just for relaxing and walking around to get away from that city life. I saw a lot of photographers taking pictures, and the leaves had just began to change colors! I wish I had a chance to try the teahouse, but a huge group of tourists stopped by right before me and it was full.
Pictures can’t do this place justice, so you have to come see it in person. Close to downtown just a taxi ride away from the station. They sell snacks here and vending machines can be found. You can picnic here, bring in food and take in the sights.
Lovely National Garden for visitors and locals.

Loved this spot for a nice stroll in a park! It’s huge! It had a lot of color and blossoms even for fall/​winter time. It was cute to see young couples by the lake and families with little children making huge piles of leaves to jump into by the French gardens.
It’s close to all the main sights at Shinjuku and Shibuya so definitely worth a stop if you’re a park/​nature/​garden lover!

Beautiful, expansive park and garden with different sections. Super cheap admission fee is certainly worth the $ 2 or so. There is also a greenhouse area that is very interesting that I would recommend checking out.
Locals seem to hang out here just to relax and study. My favorite area was either walking around the greenhouse or the Japanese traditional garden, which has a little gazebo over a small pond for some beautiful pictures.
The area takes over an hour to walk around and is a great outdoor activity amidst the quick-​paced city life of Tokyo.

Yes, they charge you money for a park but it is so worth it. This place is huge! You can easily spend the whole day walking around and relaxing here. Unfortunately, we didn’t have all the time in the world to hang here so we only saw parts of the park. This is definitely a to do and must see when visiting shinjuku!

Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the most simple yet beautiful, clean, and well-​kept parks that I have visited. If I lived in Tokyo, it would be my go-​to photography location, especially for professional photography sessions, and considering the admission is only 200¥.
My two favourite locations inside the park were: the Traditional Japanese Garden with Japanese tea houses and the lush green lawn in the middle of the park. With Tokyo’s fourth tallest building standing tall in the background (the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building), it reminded me of Central Park in New York. There were many families having picnics with children running around, and there was even a Scouts event being held on the lawn.
Despite the overcast on the day we visited Shinjuku Gyoen, I really enjoyed the scenery, the fresh air, and the trails. But… the giant spiders and the mosquitoes in particular? Not one bit. It was our first full day in Tokyo, and I walked out of there with 8 mosquito bites. Unfortunately, for me, my blood is tastier than all of my friends’ bloods… (I’m always the only one who gets bitten or the one who gets the most number of bites… by far. One of my cousins now call me his «personal insect repellent».) So, be prepared and bring some form of insect repellent!

I love gardens and flowers so after looking up gardens in Tokyo, which are so many! decided to go with Gyeon as it was the second most attraction from Trip Advisor and the pictures looked beautiful. I think the entrance is 200 yen. The whole park reminds me of Central Park in NYC. Just so much scenic views and overall great place for foreigners or even locals.
As we walked towards one part of the park, we saw couple of people with blankets and just relaxing with a small picnic. It seemed romantic as well. We were lucky as the weather was perfectly sunny. The park is pretty big so make sure to take the map with you. Their are several areas that are the key that have theme names to it. We first visited the Pavillion as it was close to the entrance. So much trees and grass around! The Pavillion itself was real grand and pretty. We saw some people in there but was not sure how to get in so we just took pictures with it and of it from afar. Words can’t describe, but the just the surrounding was sp beautiful it looked like it could have been in a movie like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon haha.
We walked passed and just looked around, we searched for the tea room. You pay before you enter, which is the cost of the tea and small sweet. As you sit the lady brings you the sweet and tea and you can just sit and relax inside. There are also stands outside scattered around for drinks and quick snacks to eat. The tea was good but the sweet I did not care too much for.
We went towards the French flower area, (I forgot the name), which was very pretty. Looks as if you were in a movie back in the days of Marie Antoinette. So many pretty roses of different colors and potent lovely smell. Next to it was a small entrance and as I walked in there was another area that was so wide in space full of tall and pretty trees and benches lined up. It really looked like those scenes from Korean dramas! My friend and I just sat on the bench and laid our head on the bench. It was so relaxing, so stress free we could have just felt asleep if it was not for the lady that was announcing the park was closing hahaha.
Overall I had a great experience. It can get a bit boring after an hour or two as it’s just a bunch of trees and flowers all around, but it’s nice to really take it in and enjoy mother nature. You don’t see any of this in L. A or other places, and I assure you it’s better than just a park,

Reminds me of Central Park in NYC in America, except smaller and cleaner. It’s such a great escape from the city with beautiful little gardens. Minus the giant creepy ass spiders everywhere and it may have been perfect.
From the outside it looks like it’s not going to be very much, but once inside it’s open and airy. Lots of different types of trees and greenery. I’m not much for the big city lights. I certainly appreciated that this was here.
You’ve got traditional Japanese, English, and French gardens. Plus a traditional Japanese tea house, and green house. I didn’t venture over to the green house, but it looked like a decent size from a distant.
In the middle of the space there’s a huge open lawn, freshly mowed, and clean! There were groups of people lying from spot to spot enjoying the breeze. I wish I had a frisbee or football to toss, but then again no one was doing that…
It’s only 200 yen to get in. It’s worth it to step out of the hustle and bustle for some peace and quiet.

This is one of the nice things in Tokyo, a big big park right in the middle of the city.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve visited this place. During my short trip for business trip in Tokyo or when I was living there. It’s not free to get in though but it’s not expensive and needed perhaps to maintain this huge park.
Every season here is beautiful, definitely worth a visit when in Tokyo. I wish there was something like this or as big as this in Osaka.

Definitely worth a visit!
A very peaceful setting and perfect getaway from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
200 Yen gets you in — and there are vending machines and quick bite stops inside the park to quench your thirst if you need it.

I want this in Osaka!
I lived in Kanto area for 6 years and I have never visited here during my stay there. But when I visited here this time, I said to myself «You should have come here more often!!»
If I can put an example, this is Golden Gate Park kind of thing. Human made park, one of the largest park in town, lots of trees and flowers, grass field, nice atmosphere. In the end nice people get together and having their own good times.
I need to say it’s a bit challenging to explore all of the park in a day, but you might wanna see several gardens which are Japanese style, French style, English style.
They run park very nicely, when you enter, you buy ticket and you get through gate just like you do at the station. Gate read QR code and you can enter.
One thing that came up in my mind was that I WANT THIS IN OSAKA AS WELL! I’ll definitely visit here when I go to Tokyo next time, to take a nap :)

100 yen for adult admission. It’s a nice respite from the hectic city. Similar to Central park in NYC, but easier to walk and safer. The ponds are really nice for a picnic on a nice day. 5 – 10 min walk from Shinjuku station.

This is a wonderful garden. Admission is 200 yen, which is less then $ 2.00 with the current exchange rate right now. Seems weird to pay to enter a park, but it’s worth it. The park is very well maintained and clean. Even in the midst of Shinjuku, the garden is quiet and seems secluded from the city.
There are so many flowers here, and really pretty, definitely great for photographers. I was here towards the end of April, and there were still plenty of cherry blossoms.
There are a couple of resting areas in the garden where you can get a drink from the vending machines or a quick bento.

This has to be one of the most beautiful parks I have stepped into. I witnessed the beautiful Cherry blossom at this park and can tell you how spectacular it is. For a small entrance fees of 200 Yen, you can enjoy a stroll around the beautiful park in middle of the city, taking in not just nature, the buildings of the city as well. Photography is definitely great especially in good weather; its best to be there with your partner, taking ‘selfie’-photos and perhaps asking strangers to snap a few shots of yourselves in this beautiful park.
When I was there, I spent a considerate amount of time walking around, snapping shots of the beautiful trees and just taking in whatever I am seeing, it certainly helps a stressed person feels better, at least how I feel. The park in my opinion is one of the perfect places to get away from work and just take in the scenery and not think about anything else.
Getting lost in the park? Don’t worry, just go wherever your eyes take you to. You will definitely find the way out with signs conveniently located.
So mark this down in your list of places to visit in Tokyo, drop by only if the weather is good and if possible, coming during the period of Cherry blossom — that would be even more spectacular!

This may very well be the most beautiful green space in Tokyo.
The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden lays particularly close to my heart with its stunning beauty in a bustling city. For the price of $ 2.00 (200 yen), this may very well be the most bang for your buck attraction to enjoy the lovely weather, scenery, photo opportunities and amazing skyline vantage points unfound anywhere else. Having no expectations walking in, I came out with a big smile on my face.
The park is, in a word, transcending.
It can get incredibly quiet there, with layers of tree lines surrounding the park that simply block out the entire sounds of the urban world. I found myself sitting on a bench a lot, just pondering and gazing outwardly into what seemed to be a teleportation away from society. Feel free to get lost in there. It’s worth every bit of excursion.
If anything, the only thing I can complain about is seeing people hold hands, stare into each others eyes while this lonely Taiwanese guy has to go through an hour of watching couples kiss, laugh, hug, snuggle, uhh the pain of traveling alone… gardens are truly for those in love.

In A Nutshell:
–Great place if you want to take a break from the hustle/​bustle and noise of Tokyo.
–The lawn is well manicured and clean so you can lay down and take a short nap (bring a blanket though b/​c the short grass will poke through your shirt)
–The indoor green house garden was very cool too, they had huge lotus in the pond and other exotic plants.
Overall, nice place to take a quiet stroll to gather your thoughts and plan your next stop in Tokyo.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Park is a true master piece in the chaos of Shinjuku prefecture.
It is perhaps the most well maintained/​groomed park I have ever been in: There is not a single speck out of place… and all of this for 200 yen (2 dollars).
For your two dollars you can stroll through the most amazing green house, french gardens, Japanese gardens, and so much more.
On a weekend I could see this place as the perfect place for a family to setup a picnic and have a wonderful time of it.
Vast lovely meadows in which to gaze the day away… staring at the concrete, steel and glass that is but minutes away.
…alas my words do not do justice. Perhaps my pictures can.
Definitely a place to visit on your visit to Tokyo.

This is an amazing park that you must visit when you come to Tokyo!
My host dad took me to Shinjuku Gyoen when I first arrived in Japan; it was amazing! There is a small fee to enter, 200 Yen or so if I remember correctly, but it’s totally worth it because the park is beautiful! It’s expansive and great for just wandering around or picnicking. I returned to this park for hanami (cherry blossom watching) in the spring, which was a great experience since so many of the trees were in bloom.
There is also an area with a Japanese pavilion which looks over the water. Usually you can find someone feeding the koi rice crackers, and it’s a lot of fun to watch the carp come to the surface and eat =)

Si vous voulez un instant d’évasion et oublier pendant un moment que vous êtes en plein coeur de l’une des plus grandes villes de Tokyo, ce parc est certainement fait pour vous.
Espace énormes en nous offrant de belles vues, jardins à la française, à l’Anglaise et bien sur à la japonaise, bref un décor aussi magnifique que pittoresque.
En générale, cette endroit est noir de monde particulièrement à la période du «Hanami”(la saison des cerisiers qui débute en avril), mais moi j’y étais en fin d’été, à deux, trois heures avant la fermeture (vers 15 heures), là où s’était le plus détendu surtout si on veut éviter la foule.
Bref, un endroit divertissant pour les grands comme pour les petits (eh oui! nos p’tits monstres peuvent chahuter sans déranger), là on profite d’un large terrain vaste où là, je vous conseille vivement des chaussures de sport même pour les moins sportifs d’entre nous.