Hama-rikyu Gardens guide: history, hidden spots and how to visit

An Edo-period daimyo garden with a tidal pond fed by seawater from Tokyo Bay and two surviving duck-hunting sites. Walk the shogun's garden with the Shiodome skyscrapers behind it. It is the only garden left where seawater actually flows in and out of the pond.

Kyochika's tips

• Our recommendation: sip matcha at the Nakajima teahouse and look at the pond and the towers together. Edo and today's Tokyo in a single view.
• On weekends and holidays there are free garden tours at 11:00 and 14:00, and English tours at 11:00 on weekends and the 2nd and 4th Mondays (not in summer). If you are bringing friends from abroad, time your visit to match.

Visiting info

Checked on 2026-10-27 against the official pages. Hours and fees can change; please check before you go.

Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Hama-rikyu Gardens (Japanese)

What was Hama-rikyu originally?

Until the Kan'ei era (1624–1644) it was a reed marsh used by the shoguns for falconry. In 1654 Matsudaira Tsunashige, younger brother of the 4th shogun Ietsuna, reclaimed land from the sea and built a villa here called the Kofu Hama Yashiki.

When his son Tsunatoyo became the 6th shogun Ienobu, it became the shogun family's villa, “Hama Goten.” Successive shoguns kept reworking it, and under the 11th shogun Ienari the garden took nearly its present form.

After the Meiji Restoration it became an imperial detached palace, “Hama Rikyu.” It lost its teahouses in the Great Kanto Earthquake and the war, was granted to Tokyo on November 3, 1945, and has been open to the public since April 1946. Including the surrounding water, it is a national Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Historic Site.

Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Hama-rikyu Gardens (Japanese)

How did the duck hunts work?

Two duck-hunting sites survive: Koshindo Kamoba (1778) and Shinsenza Kamoba (1791). The pond and woods are walled in by an embankment about 3 m high so the ducks cannot see out.

Narrow channels called hikibori lead off the pond. Watching through small peepholes, hunters lured ducks into the channels with millet and decoy ducks, then caught them — with falcons in the Edo period, and with hand nets in the palace era. A memorial mound for the ducks was built in 1935.

Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Hama-rikyu Gardens (Japanese)

The shogun's garden once made sugar

In 1727 sugarcane was planted at Hama Goten, and by around 1729 trial sugar-making seems to have begun. Brown sugar was produced in 1731, and the seedlings were moved to an herb garden in Chiba.

It was part of the 8th shogun Yoshimune's effort to produce sugar in Japan. The banks of today's tidal pond were an early sugar laboratory.

Sources: 農畜産業振興機構「砂糖類情報」 (Japanese)

An elephant lived here for 12 years

On March 13, 1729, an elephant brought from Vietnam left Nagasaki and walked about 74 days to Edo. After meeting Yoshimune, it was kept at Hama Goten.

About 12 years later, because its feed cost too much, it was handed over to villagers in Nakano, where it died. Picture an elephant on these lawns and the view changes a little.

Sources: ニッポン旅マガジン「江戸にやってきた珍獣」 (Japanese)

Where General Grant met Emperor Meiji

In 1869 a Western-style guesthouse for foreign dignitaries, the Enryokan, was built in the garden. It is described as the first state guesthouse of modern Japan.

Former US president Ulysses S. Grant, visiting Japan in 1879, met Emperor Meiji here. The building is gone; only the site of the Enryokan remains.

Sources: アジア歴史資料センター「延遼館」 (Japanese) / 現代ビジネス「延遼館」 (Japanese)

The last shogun landed here

In January 1868, after losing the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the 15th shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned to Edo by ship from Osaka. According to Serai.jp, he landed at Hama Goten, and the landing place still survives.

The last shogun's first step back in Edo was in this garden.

Sources: サライ.jp「徳川慶喜、江戸へ」 (Japanese) / サライ.jp (Japanese)

Our suggested route

1. Enter at Otemon gate The Tsukiji-side entrance. Just inside on the right is the 300-year pine with its low, spreading branches.
2. The tidal pond Cross the Otsutai bridge and rest at the Nakajima teahouse. This is where the pond and the Shiodome towers fit in one view.
3. The two duck-hunting sites Koshindo and Shinsenza Kamoba, east and north of the pond. Look for the peepholes in the embankments and the narrow channels.
4. The sluice gate side Near the gate of the tidal pond, watch Tokyo Bay water flowing in and out.
5. The flower fields to Nakanogomon gate Rapeseed blossoms in spring, cosmos in autumn, then out toward Shiodome.

We found no source giving a walking time. Our estimate: allow about 1.5 hours if you include both duck-hunting sites. Free garden tours run at 11:00 and 14:00 on weekends and holidays.

Sources: 東京都建設局「浜離宮恩賜庭園」パンフレット (Japanese)

What to see by season

Sources: エンジョイ東京「浜離宮恩賜庭園」 (Japanese) / 東京都建設局「浜離宮恩賜庭園」パンフレット (Japanese) / 東京都「都立庭園の正月開園」 (Japanese)

Hama-rikyu, Kyu-Shiba-rikyu or Rikugien?

Hama-rikyu is the largest at about 250,000 m². Kyu-Shiba-rikyu is about 43,000 m² (about a sixth of the size) and Rikugien about 87,000 m².

Hama-rikyu and Kyu-Shiba-rikyu were both tidal gardens built on reclaimed land, but only Hama-rikyu still has seawater flowing in and out. Kyu-Shiba-rikyu's pond is now freshwater.

Our take: for open sky and the sea, Hama-rikyu; if you only have 30 minutes, Kyu-Shiba-rikyu by the station; for a garden of poems and autumn leaves, Rikugien.

Sources: 東京都建設局「浜離宮恩賜庭園」パンフレット (Japanese) / 東京都建設局「旧芝離宮恩賜庭園」資料 (Japanese) / ニッポン旅マガジン「東京の大名庭園」 (Japanese)

Nearby: combine with

• Tsukiji Outer Market The nearest station to Otemon gate is Tsukijishijo, a stone's throw from the outer market. Our suggestion: eat breakfast at the market, then walk into the garden when it opens at 9:00.
• Shiodome and Ginza About 10 minutes on foot from Ginza and Shiodome, according to GO TOKYO. A good hour before or after shopping.
• Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens About 0.7 km away. The Sono-musubi ticket (adults ¥400) covers both gardens.

Sources: GO TOKYO「築地」 (Japanese) / ウォーカープラス「旧芝離宮恩賜庭園」 (Japanese)

Little-known spots

Sea fish in the tidal pond

The sluice gates open and close with the tide of Tokyo Bay, so the pond is home to sea fish such as mullet, young sea bass, gobies and eels. Crabs and barnacles cling to the rocks.

The 300-year pine

A black pine said to have been planted to honor the 6th shogun Ienobu when he greatly expanded the garden. Its thick branches stretch low and wide.

Three rebuilt teahouses

Teahouses from Ienari's time were rebuilt from historical records: Matsu-no-ochaya in 2010, Tsubame-no-ochaya in 2015 and Taka-no-ochaya in 2018.

Nakajima teahouse

The teahouse in the middle of the pond, reached by the Otsutai bridge. Once you could see the Boso Peninsula across the sea, and it was used for cooling off in the evening and moon viewing. The current building was rebuilt in 1983 and serves matcha.

Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Hama-rikyu Gardens (Japanese)

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Hama-rikyu Gardens?

9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30; may be extended during events)

How much does Hama-rikyu Gardens cost?

Adults ¥300, 65 and over ¥150 (free for children of elementary school age and under, and for junior high students living or studying in Tokyo). Free on May 4 and October 1

How do I get to Hama-rikyu Gardens?

Otemon gate: 7 min walk from Tsukijishijo or Shiodome Station (Oedo Line) or Shiodome Station (Yurikamome). Nakanogomon gate: 5 min from Shiodome

What was Hama-rikyu originally?

Until the Kan'ei era (1624–1644) it was a reed marsh used by the shoguns for falconry. In 1654 Matsudaira Tsunashige, younger brother of the 4th shogun Ietsuna, reclaimed land from the sea and built a villa here called the Kofu Hama Yashiki.

What are some little-known spots in Hama-rikyu Gardens?

Sea fish in the tidal pond, The 300-year pine, Three rebuilt teahouses, Nakajima teahouse.

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