Koishikawa Botanical Garden
Koishikawa Botanical Garden
4
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is an area of massive development. Several thousand tenants occupy two giant department stores and shopping malls, where all sorts of shopping and gourmet foods can be enjoyed. The 60-story building at the east entrance of the station, Sunshine City, is a landmark within Ikebukuro and features an aquarium, planetarium, theme park as well as an observation platform. The popular name for the western side of this area is "Otome Road" (Maiden Road) and there are many shops selling products related to anime with a female theme. It has rapidly become the worldwide headquarters for ‘otaku’ or geek culture.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
146 reviews
Excellent
39
Very good
83
Average
18
Poor
4
Terrible
2
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Purwitanto
Sengata, Indonesia3,017 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
After eating unagi lunch at Hashimoto, we wanted to take a walk at the Koishikawa botanical garden which is located in the Bunkyo area.
To get there we took a taxi from Hashimoto's unagi restaurant, because we were too lazy to look for the subway.
Actually, we came here because we were interested in photos on the internet, rows of Japanese maple trees forming a red canopy. But unfortunately when we arrived there, not all the leaves had changed color, there were still many green ones. But the park itself is quite calm and cool, not bad for walking around. There is an old ginkgo tree there. And there are trees with unique and interesting shapes.
To get there we took a taxi from Hashimoto's unagi restaurant, because we were too lazy to look for the subway.
Actually, we came here because we were interested in photos on the internet, rows of Japanese maple trees forming a red canopy. But unfortunately when we arrived there, not all the leaves had changed color, there were still many green ones. But the park itself is quite calm and cool, not bad for walking around. There is an old ginkgo tree there. And there are trees with unique and interesting shapes.
Written November 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keizo
Kawasaki, Japan1,550 contributions
Jan 2022
It takes 15 minutes on foot from Myogadani Subway Station and you might need about one hour and half to go around. I visited on January 4th which is the very first opening day of a year.it has a Japanese garden too but basically this is a botanical garden to see may plants, flowers so the Japanese garden itself was not so elegant .
Off curse no flowers were seen now but maybe good depending on the season.
Off curse no flowers were seen now but maybe good depending on the season.
Written January 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silvio_SP_BR
Sao Paulo, SP98 contributions
Jan 2018 • Business
The botanic garden is owned by the University of Tokyo. There are sights to explain the trees and other plants. Enjoy the Japanese Garden that is beautiful, and increase your knowledge on introduction of foreign plants and species in Japan. Go to the museum and buy hand paint cards.
Written April 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travel_tings_07
California93 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
It took awhile to get here from Shinjuku with about 35 min train ride and a 15 min walk from the train station to the gardens. Since my fiance and I went in mid-February of 2018, not much were growing or blooming yet in winter, but we did see that plum blossoms were starting to bloom. They have a nice variety of plum trees and flower colors, which created an interesting effect at the end of the park.
Written April 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N K
Rishon Lezion, Israel2,321 contributions
Apr 2014 • Solo
Koishikawa Botanical Garden is a beautiful garden which is somewhat off usual tourist trails. It's especially gorgeous during the cherry blossom season. Very enjoyable and well worth a visit. Admission fee is 400 yen.
Written April 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr. Shibuyakko
California46,690 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
Nice garden to visit during sakura season. If you go, take a stroll on nearby Harimazaka which is lined by many sakura trees.
Written March 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mish_H50
Japan381 contributions
Dec 2017 • Friends
isolated (though in the middle of the city!), not crowded and huge- its a great place to get away from the crowds and really enjoy the foliage and the quiet surroundings. the Japanese maple tunnel is breath taking- rivals Kyotos best foliage spots. Well worth a visit if you want to see foliage, and walk around a garden away from the crowds.
Written December 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gordonj258
Blackpool, UK6,378 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
Well laid out gardens with species named in Latin and some in English. Not as interesting for me as other gardens as no water features and the emphasis is on growing beds etc rather than trying to achieve great scenic views. There are some fabulous mature trees. Worth a trip if in the area. Usual entry fee Y300 (£2.20 GBP) 50% discount for seniors.
Written May 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yana_Alekseenko
Tokyo, Japan227 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
We enjoyed our visit a lot, and plan be back later this spring to enjoy sakura and magnolia blossom.
Written January 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hfot2 🌸🍁🌸
Vermont7,620 contributions
Dec 2019
With its many species, labeled and explained, this is truly a research and educational garden. In fact, it is the Tokyo University Graduate School of Science Botanical Garden. It was begun in 1684 by the Tokugawa Shogunate as the Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden.
There was a laminated English map at the entrance booth, but we were only given a map in Japanese - there were no available English maps for visitors. We used the Japanese map to get around. The woman at the ticket booth marked our map for the momiji area and the Japanese garden, but we knew where to look having visited here previously for sakura. The momiji tunnel was indeed beautiful. We noticed on the English map mention of a "Sweet Potato Monument” so we penciled it into our Japanese map and made sure we found it to photograph it (Not very exciting, but how often do you get to see a Sweet Potato Monument?)
The grounds are large enough that even though there were many other visitors we did not feel that it was overly crowded. We did have to wait at times for people to move so that we could photograph just the garden. The birders standing still with their long lens cameras, the young couples and families out for a day, and the painting class students sitting in prime spots around the lower pond, all ended up in some of our photos as did the signs, marking significant trees and plants.
The garden proved to be a good place to visit for koyo, as it had previously been for sakura.
Visitor tips:
Be prepared for a long walk through a residential area to the garden from the station.
The grounds are quite extensive so plan on spending a long time there.
From the upper garden to the lower pond and Japanese garden requires walking a path down a steep slope. You can also walk down the hill under the trees off the path - this is a shorter and more direct route, but requires attention to your footing.
Do not confuse the Koishikawa Botanical Garden with Koishikawa Korakuen near the Tokyo Dome.
¥400 entrance fee when were there, but it now appears to be ¥500
There was a laminated English map at the entrance booth, but we were only given a map in Japanese - there were no available English maps for visitors. We used the Japanese map to get around. The woman at the ticket booth marked our map for the momiji area and the Japanese garden, but we knew where to look having visited here previously for sakura. The momiji tunnel was indeed beautiful. We noticed on the English map mention of a "Sweet Potato Monument” so we penciled it into our Japanese map and made sure we found it to photograph it (Not very exciting, but how often do you get to see a Sweet Potato Monument?)
The grounds are large enough that even though there were many other visitors we did not feel that it was overly crowded. We did have to wait at times for people to move so that we could photograph just the garden. The birders standing still with their long lens cameras, the young couples and families out for a day, and the painting class students sitting in prime spots around the lower pond, all ended up in some of our photos as did the signs, marking significant trees and plants.
The garden proved to be a good place to visit for koyo, as it had previously been for sakura.
Visitor tips:
Be prepared for a long walk through a residential area to the garden from the station.
The grounds are quite extensive so plan on spending a long time there.
From the upper garden to the lower pond and Japanese garden requires walking a path down a steep slope. You can also walk down the hill under the trees off the path - this is a shorter and more direct route, but requires attention to your footing.
Do not confuse the Koishikawa Botanical Garden with Koishikawa Korakuen near the Tokyo Dome.
¥400 entrance fee when were there, but it now appears to be ¥500
Written November 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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