The Korakuen neighborhood is a great mix of venerable and modern entertainment, from the quirky thrills of Japanese baseball to a centuries-old stroll garden to an amusement park with a roller coaster that zooms right through a skyscraper!
Let’s start at Koshikawa Korakuen Garden, an oasis right in the middle of Tokyo that’s so serene, it always makes me forget I’m in the middle of the world’s largest city. It’s my favorite garden in Tokyo, because it’s like a string of pearls—the path winds through a series of smaller gardens, each a picturesque view in itself.
Also, I’m a sucker for Japanese bridges and Korakuen has a lot of them! I have tons of pictures of this orange lacquer bridge, because it’s so beautiful in every season.
Eveywhere you go, there is water reflecting the greenery and enhancing the cool serenity of this garden…
and I think it offers the most stunning garden landscapes in Tokyo.
Especially good times to go to Koraku-en are:
February
Plum blossom season kicks in with rare beauty when everything else is still bare and brown, and the ancient plum grove here has some beautiful varieties
May
The wisteria arbors are both long and lush at Koshikawa Korakuen, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re situated in a part of the garden that frames them perfectly.
June
This swath of Japanese iris is one of the most famous in Tokyo.
September
Drifts of bright-red native amaryllis (higanbana) appear around the solstice
November
Autumn leaf season speaks for itself…
And if you’re there in winter, you might get snow!
December – March
If it snows while you’re in Tokyo, hop on a train to Korakuen as soon as the flakes begin to stick. You won’t be disappointed!
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After the garden let’s go see the Yomiuri Giants play at the Tokyo Dome. The mascots are adorable, the fans are almost as fun to watch as the game and seeing the clubs that spawned baseball greats like Ichiro and Shohei Ohtani is never the wrong answer. The Tokyo Dome baseball schedule is here.
Then—if you’ve got the stomach for it!—hop on the roller coaster at Tokyo Dome City, and take a ride through the neighboring skyscraper
As an added bonus, from November through February Tokyo Dome City puts on an amazing (and free!) illuminations display.
Not just in the amusement park, but throughout the plaza surrounding it.
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And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
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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 