The Rikugi-en Gardens is one of the beautiful traditional Japanese gardens in Tokyo.
Rikugi, which means “Garden of the Six Principles of Poetry”, while the “en” means park consisting of a small pond, trees and a hill.
The construction of Rikugi-en was around 1695-1702 and was headed by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu serving the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and is a typical garden that was popular during the Edo period.
Unfortunately, after the death of Yangisawa, the park was neglected until Mitsubishi founder, Iwasaki Yataro bought the garden in 1878 and had it restored. And in 1938, the garden was donated to the Tokyo City government and was designated a special place of scenic beauty (tokubetsu meisho) by the Japanese government in 1953.
Each year, the park holds a night time viewing but it’s only for a short time. For this year, the following information was posted:
Rikugien Gardens “Nighttime Autumn Foliage Viewing”
Rikugien Garden is one of Tokyo’s most famous spots for viewing autumn leaves. The garden will be open at night, when it is usually closed to the public, and the garden will be illuminated with autumn leaves and projections will be shown on the storehouse walls. Photogenic spots will also be set up throughout the garden. Please come along to “Rikugien Garden Autumn Leaves Special Night Viewing” to see a new side of the garden.
So, if you want to see the viewing, it’s only open between 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Date and time
Friday, November 22, 2020 – Wednesday, December 4,
18:00 – 20:30 (Last admission 19:30)
The park closes at 5pm and reopens at 6pm for the special night viewing.
After 6pm, only those who have purchased tickets for the special night viewing can enter the park.
Entry is only through the main gate, and exit is through the main gate and Somei Gate.
There are also areas where entry is restricted at night to ensure safety.
