While Tokyo boasts famous gardens like Shinjuku Gyoen and Hamarikyu, Rikugien Garden remains a quiet masterpiece, often overlooked by tourists. Built in 1702 for a feudal lord, this Edo-period strolling garden is a living poem—each landscape designed to evoke classical Japanese literature. With its winding paths, tranquil ponds, and meticulously pruned trees, Rikugien offers a serene escape where visitors can experience old-world Tokyo at its finest. A Garden Designed Like a Waka Poem Rikugien (whose name means “Six Poems Garden”) was commissioned by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a close confidant of the fifth Tokugawa shogun. Its design was inspired by 88 scenes from famous waka poetry, with each turn of the path revealing a new “verse” … 続きを読む