Hamarikyu Gardens

Hamarikyu Gardens, as a former villa of the Tokugawa family during the shogunate era, is one of the oldest surviving daimyo gardens in Tokyo. The overall design is in the typical style of a strolling pond garden, featuring a long stone embankment modeled after the architecture of West Lake in Hangzhou, with small islands and stones arranged artfully in the pond. The central island is built with stones to represent the mythical land of Horai, symbolizing eternal youth.

Hamarikyu Gardens and its surrounding waters are a designated Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan. Built by the sea, it draws seawater into its ponds and is a representative strolling pond garden of the Edo period. Strolling along the tidal pond, where you can observe the changing tides, is also quite enjoyable.