Rice paddy field

At the very eastern end of the garden is the rice paddy, or inada. The rice paddy area has an abundance of plum trees, irises and wisterias. Mitsukuni decided to place a rice paddy within his garden grounds to teach his wife and child the hardships of farming and peasant life.

The plum blossoms of Koishikawa Korakuen

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden has approximately 90 plum trees of 35 types, which reach their prime season around late February to early March. Tokugawa Mitsukuni who was responsible for the completion of this garden, is said to have loved plum trees so much that he took on the pseudonym "Bairi" (梅里 = land of plums) when he took part in creative activities such as calligraphy and painting.

Fall foliage at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

The Fall Foliage Festival will have you feeling fall with every single one of your senses. Autumn in Japan is already stunning to begin with, but it is exceptional at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese garden supporting the fall foliage scenery. From the end of November to the beginning of December the gardens will be adorned in autumn hues.

Koishikawa Korakuen in the winter / Yuki-tsuri (Winter)

To prevent snow from weighing the trees branches down, yuki-tsuri are placed over the trees. Yuki-tsuri ropes carefully situate on the trees, and resemble an empty Christmas tree. During the winter months, you can see the trees in Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese technology, yuki-tsuri over them.

Autumn 2013: Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Autumn 2013: Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Visit Date: 11/21/2013 (Best Viewing TIme: late November to early December)

Koishikawa Kōrakuen (小石川後楽園) is one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo and one of the surviving gardens from the Edo period. Numerous maple and ginkgo trees are planted along walking trails that lead to ponds, bridges, and man-made hills, providing one of the most pleasing autumn viewing spot in the city.

Picture of Koishikawa Kōrakuen

The Koishikawa Kōrakuen (小石川後楽園) is a large urban park in the Koishikawa neighborhood of Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese garden  dates from the early Edo period.[1] and is one of three surviving daimyō gardens of the many that were created during that period, the others being the Rikugi-en  and the Hama Rikyū gardens.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.

The Koishikawa Korakuen

The Koishikawa garden, formally called Koishikawa-kōraku-en (小石川後楽園), is a small garden jewel in Tokyo. Well preserved from the Edo period (1603-1868), it is one of the oldest gardens in Tokyo. The daimyo and son of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tokugawa Yorifusa started to build the garden in 1629, and his son Tokugawa Mitsukuni finished it in 1669 with the help of the Chinese scholar Shu Shunsui.

Motacillidae (Bird)

The wagtails, longclaws, and pipits are a family, Motacillidae, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Around 70 species occur in five genera. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with two species migrating and breeding in Alaska. The pipits have the most cosmopolitan distribution, being found mostly in the Old World, but occurring also in the Americas and oceanic islands such as New Zealand  and the Falklands. Two African species, the yellow-breasted pipit and Sharpe's longclaw, are sometimes placed in a separate seventh genus, Hemimacronyx, which is closely related to the longclaws.[1]

White-browed wagtail

The white-browed wagtail or large pied wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis) is a medium-sized bird and is the largest member of the wagtail family. They are conspicuously patterned with black above and white below, a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers. White-browed wagtails are native to South Asia, common near small water bodies and have adapted to urban environments where they often nest on roof tops. The specific name is derived from the Indian city of Madras  (now Chennai).

Rice paddy field

At the very eastern end of the garden is the rice paddy, or inada. The rice paddy area has an abundance of plum trees, irises and wisterias. Mitsukuni decided to place a rice paddy within his garden grounds to teach his wife and child the hardships of farming and peasant life.

The plum blossoms of Koishikawa Korakuen

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden has approximately 90 plum trees of 35 types, which reach their prime season around late February to early March. Tokugawa Mitsukuni who was responsible for the completion of this garden, is said to have loved plum trees so much that he took on the pseudonym "Bairi" (梅里 = land of plums) when he took part in creative activities such as calligraphy and painting.

Fall foliage at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

The Fall Foliage Festival will have you feeling fall with every single one of your senses. Autumn in Japan is already stunning to begin with, but it is exceptional at Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese garden supporting the fall foliage scenery. From the end of November to the beginning of December the gardens will be adorned in autumn hues.

Koishikawa Korakuen in the winter / Yuki-tsuri (Winter)

To prevent snow from weighing the trees branches down, yuki-tsuri are placed over the trees. Yuki-tsuri ropes carefully situate on the trees, and resemble an empty Christmas tree. During the winter months, you can see the trees in Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens with the traditional Japanese technology, yuki-tsuri over them.

Autumn 2013: Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Autumn 2013: Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Visit Date: 11/21/2013 (Best Viewing TIme: late November to early December)

Koishikawa Kōrakuen (小石川後楽園) is one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo and one of the surviving gardens from the Edo period. Numerous maple and ginkgo trees are planted along walking trails that lead to ponds, bridges, and man-made hills, providing one of the most pleasing autumn viewing spot in the city.

Picture of Koishikawa Kōrakuen

The Koishikawa Kōrakuen (小石川後楽園) is a large urban park in the Koishikawa neighborhood of Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese garden  dates from the early Edo period.[1] and is one of three surviving daimyō gardens of the many that were created during that period, the others being the Rikugi-en  and the Hama Rikyū gardens.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.

The Koishikawa Korakuen

The Koishikawa garden, formally called Koishikawa-kōraku-en (小石川後楽園), is a small garden jewel in Tokyo. Well preserved from the Edo period (1603-1868), it is one of the oldest gardens in Tokyo. The daimyo and son of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tokugawa Yorifusa started to build the garden in 1629, and his son Tokugawa Mitsukuni finished it in 1669 with the help of the Chinese scholar Shu Shunsui.

Motacillidae (Bird)

The wagtails, longclaws, and pipits are a family, Motacillidae, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Around 70 species occur in five genera. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with two species migrating and breeding in Alaska. The pipits have the most cosmopolitan distribution, being found mostly in the Old World, but occurring also in the Americas and oceanic islands such as New Zealand  and the Falklands. Two African species, the yellow-breasted pipit and Sharpe's longclaw, are sometimes placed in a separate seventh genus, Hemimacronyx, which is closely related to the longclaws.[1]

White-browed wagtail

The white-browed wagtail or large pied wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis) is a medium-sized bird and is the largest member of the wagtail family. They are conspicuously patterned with black above and white below, a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers. White-browed wagtails are native to South Asia, common near small water bodies and have adapted to urban environments where they often nest on roof tops. The specific name is derived from the Indian city of Madras  (now Chennai).