Metropolitan Gardens : 東京都故園, Japanese Culture, Kiyosumi garden lake reflecting the surrounding sky islet, trees, and modern buildings.

Kiyosumi Gardens | 清澄庭園

In Exploring and Socializing, Gallery, Japan, Tokyo Metropolitan Gardens, Travel by Pjechorin

Like a lush green oasis rising out of a desert of urbanity, Kiyosumi gardens is well worth the short side trip while visiting the Sky Tree.

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Information about Kiyosumi Gardens

  • Address:

    3-3-9 Kiyosumi, Koto-ku

  • Contact:

    03-3641-5892

  • Open hours:

    9am – 5pm (entry until 4:30pm)

  • Closed:

    Dec. 29 – Jan. 1

  • Entrance fee:

    General ¥150, 65 and older ¥70 (No charge for children aged 12 or under, and junior high school students living or attendng school in Tokyo) Annual pass ¥600 (65 or older ¥280)

Flower Calendar for Kiyosumi Gardens

  • Jan. – Feb. : Camellia, Japanese apricot, Amur adonis, Narcissus
  • Mar. – Apr. : Bell lower cherry,Sato-zakura cherry, Azalea, Japanese andromeda, Japanese cornel, Thunberg’s meadowsweet
  • May – June : Satsuki azalea, Japanese iris, Hydrangea, Chinese catalpa
  • Jul. – Aug. : Crape myrtle, Chinese chaste tree
  • Aug. – Sep : Japanese bush clover, Red spider lily, Japanese anemone
  • Sep. : Red spider lily
  • Nov. – Jan: Sasanqua, Leopard plant, Japanese wax tree (red leaves)
  • Nov. – Feb. : Yukitsuri and Fuyugakoi (Winter plant protections)
Table of Contents

Background and History of Kiyosumi Gardens

It is beleived that Kiyosumi Gardens was originaly one of the residences of the legendary wealthy merchant, Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, during the Edo period. From 1716 to 1735 it became the secondary residence of the domain lord of Seki-yado from Shimousa-no-kuni, what is now largely Chiba prefecture, Kuze Yamatonokami. In 1878, Mitsubishi founder Iwasaki Yataro bought the dilapidated residence and intended to build a garden that his employees could also enjoy along with dignitaries. It first opened as “Fukagawa Shinbokuen” in 1880. It was eventually completed much later and is the most representative of the kiyu-style (circuit style) garden of the Meiji-period. It includes a small lake that draws water from the Sumida river and manmade hills with particularly valuable stones collected from all over Japan. Kiyosumi gardens suffered extensive damage during the Great Kanto earthquake and World War II, but still remains one of the finest examples of a Meiji era strolling garden.

Features and Sights to See

Garden Lake

This small lake plays the central scenic role in the garden with an arrangement of 3 islets inside, reflecting shadowed shapes of birds, tea-ceremony house style architecture as well as the trees around. It used to draw its water from the Sumida river which made the lake ebb and flow with the tidal effect of Tokyo Bay on the river. Now the lake is fed by rain water exclusively.

Unique Stone Walking Paths and Bridges

The stones were collected from quarries nationwide by the Iwasaki family taking advantage of their company steamships. The most noteworthy stones are “Izu-iso-ishi”, “Iyo-ao-ishi”, “Kishu-ao-ishi”, “Ikoma-ishi”, “Izu-Shikinejima-ishi”, “Sado-akadama-ishi”, “Bitchu-Mikage-ishi”, “Sanuki-Mikage-ishi”, “Nebukawa-ishi”, etc

Taisho Kinenkan

This is a relocated building which was originally used as the funeral hall for emperor Taisho. Since the original building was lost in a fire during WWII, the current building is built from the materials used for empress Teimei’s funeral hall. Today it serves mostly as an assembly hall and a place that serves refreshments, and a small collection of books about gardens in Tokyo can be bought there.

  • Tea house over a small lake with trees in the background.
  • Lake with islets surrounded by trees ad tall buildings in the middle of Tokyo’s ShitaMachi, Koto ward, Tokyo, Kiyosumi gardens.
  • Green and red foliage around a traditional Japanese stone lantern.
  • Tree with red leaves against a blue sky with clouds with some other green leaved trees.
  • Looking across the lake at Kiyosumi gardens reflecting the clouds in the sky.
  • An islet in the lake at Kiyosumi garden iwith a large lush green treen in the middle n Koto ward, Tokyo metropolis, Japan.
  • Looking across the lake from the small islet to a small hill with shrubs and surrounded by trees with a blue sky in Kiyosumi gardens, Koto ward, Tokyo metropolis, Japan.
  • Looking across the lake at Kiyosumi gardens with tall trees on the other side and blue sky with a modern building on the right.
  • The lake at Kiyosumi gardens reflecting the sky and clouds above and the trees closer to the water’s edge.
  • Sky reflected on the waters of the small lake at Kiyosumi gardens with trees and modern buildings in the background.
  • Kiyosumi garden lake reflecting the surrounding sky islet, trees, and modern buildings.
  • Trees, resting house, sky with flux white clouds at Kiyosumi gardens.
  • The large tea house, islets, trees, and modern apartment building and sky tree at Kiyosumi gardens.
  • At Kiyosumi gardens, the tea house, lake, usually and large rocks imported from across Japan, modern buildings in the background, and a partly cloudy spring sky.
  • A Kiyosumi gardens are the large tea house built over the small lake, islets, many large green trees.
  • The lake at Kiyosumi garden, large tea house, islet with a large Japanese stone lantern, many green trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
  • Lake at Kiyosumi gardens, islet with a large stone Japanese lantern, large green trees, and blue sky with fluffy white clouds.
  • Large traditional Japanese stone lantern made of stacked rocks of varying shapes surrounded by trees and shrubbery on a beautiful spring day at Kiyosumi gardens.
  • Looking across the lake at Kiyosumi gardens lookin at the great tea house and stone lantern with lush trees and modern buildings int he background.
  • Large traditional Japanese lantern made of concrete on an islet, with traditional style Japanese building built over the lake at Kiyosumi gardens, with lush trees in the background and a modern apartment building, and a blue sky with wispy clouds.
  • Concrete traditional style Japanese lantern on an islet in Kiyosumi gardens lake surrounded by lush trees and grass with a beautiful spring sky sky.
  • Green trees and shrubs with one tree with red leaves.
  • Taisho Kinenkan surrounded by lush green trees and a blue sky at Kiyosumi gardens.
  • View of a blue spring sky with many puffy clouds over lush green trees, an islet, te roof of a large traditional tea house, the lake of Kiyosumi gardens, and some moder buildings in the background.
  • Kiyosumi gardens lake, an islet, lush green trees, and modern buildings in the background.
  • A stream winding in a woods at Kiyosumi gardens wit lush foliage all around.

Official Kiyosumi Gardens website from the Tokyo Parks Service


About the Author

Pjechorin

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I have lived and worked with my family in Japan since 2005. For many years I have been interested in the very practical and creative side of Japanese culture. In my free time I travel around, enjoy hiking in the countryside and cities, and just generally seeing and doing new things. This blog is primarily a way for me to focus my energies and record and teach others about what I have learned by experience constructively. I am interested in urban development, and sustainable micro-economics, especially home-economics, and practical things everyday families can do to survive and thrive through these changing times.

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