Mukojima Hyakaen is one of my favorite places in Tokyo. Admission is largely inexpensive at 150 yen for adults under 65 years of age (about $1 USD). And, it is the only surviving flower garden from the Edo period. The name “Hyakkaen” was derived from the Japanese “Hyaku,” meaning “one hundred”. And, it was chosen to mean, “a garden where one hundred different flowers bloom throughout the four seasons”. It is also very famous for “hagi” flowers: tiny fuchsia flowers which bloom in Autumn, and they have built a bamboo-frame tunnel for visitors to enjoy its vines. Said to be about one hectare in size, Hyakkaen is dubbed the “smallest and coziest” of Tokyo’s nine large parks. Featuring a refreshment stand selling matcha tea sets that one may enjoy in the splendors of nature, Hyakkaen even offers rental tatami rooms, for complete immersion into tea culture.
Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden
3-18-3 Higashi-Mukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Access: 8-minute walk from Higashi-mukojima Station
13-minute walk from Keisei Hikifune Station
Opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Closed: year-end and New Year holidays (Dec.29-Jan.3)
Admission: 150yen. 70yen for over 65’s. Free for pre-school age. Free for Tokyo-resident middle school students.