The Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens near the Tokyo Dome is a paradise in the middle of a bustling city. This could be said of most temples and gardens, but this one in particular was special and was the launching point for our “golden hour” walk to the Ginza district.
This was one of our brave days, where we chose to get lost and see where we ended up.
The steep hills running down to a river was new to us then and are still unique now.
100m from a highway.
As many reviewers say, you really do forget you are in a city of 30 million people.
Built around one large and two smaller lakes, with a feeding river, the gardens are a genuine nature haven attracting Cranes, Herons and King Fishers.
With the benefit of hind sight, we probably set out on this journey too late in the day, but were rewarded by beautiful light from beginning to end.
Every garden in Japan has a feel, a theme. This one had many.
The walk after this is one of our favourite memories of the early trips, slightly diluting the walk around these gardens, that would otherwise have been as powerful.
Many paths.
We may not have even risked the longer walk if not for the calming effect of this space.