The Best Botanical Gardens in Japan

Stroll gardens

Four of the ten Japanese entries are gardens laid out for feudal lords: Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Okayama Korakuen, Shukkeien in Hiroshima and Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu. They are built around ponds, shaped pines and artificial hills. In winter the pines of Kenroku-en are tied with rope cones against the snow. Koko-en, beside Himeji Castle, opened in 1992 on the site of samurai residences. Entry to each costs between 260 and 500 yen.

Botanical gardens and glasshouses

Kyoto Botanical Gardens are over 100 years old and have a large greenhouse with tropical and carnivorous plants. Makino Botanical Garden covers a mountainside in Kochi and was built in memory of the botanist Tomitaro Makino; every plant carries a name tag. The Tropical Dream Center on Okinawa is a set of linked greenhouses with large orchid displays, next to the Churaumi Aquarium.

Flowers by season

Ashikaga Flower Park is built around a wisteria more than 150 years old, and its entry fee is highest when the wisteria flowers. Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo requires a reservation in cherry blossom season.