This old-fashioned neighborhood is an undiscovered gem, with a serene (and uncrowded!) garden and a life-sized samurai-era town you can walk around.
First, let’s see what Edo-era life was like, as we stroll through this perfectly reconstructed town at the Fukagawa-Edo Museum . The streets are lined with all kinds of shops…
from the local vegetable stand…
to the fisherman’s house where we must have interrupted him mending his nets.
As you can see, the detail is amazing, and as an added bonus, the lighting cycles from day to night!
Now let’s make our way over to the Kiyosumi Teien Garden, my favorite place for a restorative recharge in Tokyo. The neighborhood between the museum and the garden is a quirky mix of old-fashioned and artistic, with tiny shops and noodle restaurants that haven’t changed for decades.
This ancient garden isn’t famous for extravagant flower displays, but its classic Japanese design and lush greenery are always astoundingly beautiful. Green & serene & uncrowded in every season…
Lovely stone water basins make cool oases along the path…
Which delivers multiple examples of the best stepping stones in Tokyo.
Which delivers multiple examples of the best stepping stones in Tokyo. We might even encounter a new wild animal!
There are photo-worthy views around every bend…
and this garden dishes up many hidden surprises, like a secret iris garden that blooms in May
The golden gingko trees and red maples turn in November, and although there aren’t many of them, they look incredibly vibrant against all that green.
A few choice early blooming cherry trees put on a show in early March, when there’s still a chance of snow…
And if you happen to be here during late March to early April, pop into the temple across from the entrance to the garden, for this.
And finally, one of the best things about this garden is…see all the people? Neither do I. It’s never crowded, even on weekends.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 