Rikugien Garden

Rikugien is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful landscape gardens surviving from the Edo period, rivaling even the celebrated gardens of Kyoto in its artistry and tranquility. The garden was completed in 1702 by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a trusted senior counselor to the fifth Tokugawa shogun Tsunayoshi, who spent seven years designing and perfecting the grounds. The name Rikugien, meaning Garden of the Six Principles of Poetry, refers to the six classifications of waka poetry, and 88 scenic spots within the garden were designed to evoke famous landscapes described in classical Japanese and Chinese poetry. Visitors stroll along paths that wind around a large central pond featuring islands, a tea house, bridges, and carefully composed viewpoints that unfold like a scroll painting. The garden has a big weeping cherry near the entrance that gets lit up at night during spring bloom, and the autumn foliage is worth seeing—hundreds of maples turn red and gold. As a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty, Rikugien is protected as one of Japan's finest cultural landscapes.