Shinjuku Gyoen
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
with an eminent garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
in Shinjuku and Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family (Daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
) in the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency
Imperial Household Agency
The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal...
of Japan. It is now a park under the jurisdiction of the national Ministry of the Environment
Ministry of the Environment (Japan)
The ' of Japan was formed in 2001 from the sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency established in 1971. The minister is a member of the Cabinet and is chosen by the Prime Minister, usually from the Diet., the current is Goshi Hosono...
.
History
The imperial gardens, which were once meant for the royaltyImperial House of Japan
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the Yamato Dynasty, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people...
, were completed in 1906 and destroyed in 1945, during the later stages of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The jurisdiction over the Imperial Palace
Kokyo
is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda area of Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains several buildings including the main palace , the emperor left Kyoto Imperial Palace for Tokyo...
Outer Garden and the Kyoto
Imperial Court in Kyoto
thumb|left|350px|Front view of Kyoto imperial palaceImperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji Era, in which the court was moved to Tokyo and integrated into the Meiji government....
imperial garden was transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (now part of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
) with Shinjuku Imperial Gardens in 1947.
On May 21, 1949 the gardens became open to the public as "National Park Shinjuku Imperial Gardens." It came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment in January 2001 with the official name "Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden."
Features
The gardens, which are 58.3 hectares in area with a circumference of 3.5km, blend three distinct styles: French Formal, English Landscape and Japanese traditional. A traditional Japanese tea house can be found within the gardens.The gardens are a favourite hanami
Hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms or ume blossoms. From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa...
(cherry-blossom viewing) spot, and large crowds can be found in the park during cherry blossom season.
Flora
The gardens have more than 20,000 trees, including approximately 1,500 cherry treeCherry Tree
Cherry Tree may refer to:* A tree that produces cherries* An ornamental cherry tree that produces cherry blossomsPlaces* Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania, a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States* Cherry Tree, Oklahoma...
s which bloom from late March (Shidare or Weeping Cherry), to early April (Somei or Tokyo Cherry), and on to late April (Kanzan Cherry). Other trees found here include the majestic Himalayan cedars, which soar above the rest of the trees in the park, tulip trees, cypresses, and plane trees, which were first planted in Japan in the Imperial Gardens.
Horticulture work has been going on in the greenhouses in the gardens since 1892. The present greenhouse, built in the 1950s has a stock of over 1,700 tropical and subtropical plant species on permanent display.
Entrances and admission
The gardens have three access gates: Shinjuku Gate, Okido Gate and SendagayaSendagaya
Sendagaya is an area within Shibuya ward 渋谷区), one of Tokyo , Japan's special 23 wards.-Introduction:...
Gate. Shinjuku Gyoen is open from 9:00 until 16:30. On Mondays the gardens are closed, except during the cherry blossom and chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...
seasons: late March–late April and early November respectively, when the gardens are open seven days a week. The greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
, usually open from 11:00 until 15:00 is closed until some time in 2011. The last admission is 16:00.
Admission is JPY 200 for adults, JPY 50 for children.
Location
The gardens are a short walk from Shinjuku-gyoemmae StationShinjuku-gyoemmae Station
is a train station in Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. Its station number is M-10. The station opened on 15 March 1959, and consists of two side platforms.-Adjacent stations:...
on the Marunouchi Line or Sendagaya Station
Sendagaya Station
is a railway station operated by East Japan Railway Company and located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.-Around the station:Located in front of the station is Kokuritsu Kyogijo Station on the Toei Ōedo Line....
on the Chūō-Sōbu Line
Chuo-Sobu Line
The is a railway line located in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company network, it runs on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line and Sōbu Main Line , providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and...
.
The garden is on the Fukutoshin Line near Shinjuku-sanchōme Station
Shinjuku-sanchome Station
is a metro station in Shinjuku 3-chōme, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its station numbers are M-09 , S-02 , and F-13 . It is connected to Shinjuku Station by a pedestrian underground passage above the Marunouchi Line, called the Metro Promenade...
. From that station the garden is a four-minute walk.
Shinjuku Gyoen should not to be confused with Shinjuku Central Park
Shinjuku Central Park
Shinjuku Central Park is a small green area located in western Shinjuku, Nishi-Shinjuku, 2-chome, Tokyo, Japan. The park is bordered by Honnnan Dori or Kita Dori to the north, Junisha Dori to the west, Suido Dori or Minami Dori to the south, and Koen Dori to the east...
, a small green area located behind the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
The , also referred to as Tokyo City Hall or Tochō for short, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs not only the 23 wards, but also the cities, towns and villages that make up Tokyo as a whole....
in Nishi-Shinjuku
Nishi-shinjuku
is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This region was called before.Nishi-Shinjuku was Tokyo's first major foray into building skyscrapers with the first appearing in the 1970s with Keio Plaza Inter-Continental. Kenzo Tange's Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building being the...
.