Shinjuku

Japanese garden design, with what strikes foreigners as a completely different style of artistic arrangement, is an unfailing source of delight. The Shinjuku-Gyoen National Garden is a park that combines everything which is expected of Japanese gardening. It is situated only five minutes' walk from Shinjuku Railway Station.The grounds of the Park cover some 145ac (58.5ha). Formerly most of it belonged to the Naito family of Daimyos. Towards the end of the 19th C it came into the possession of the Imperial house which transferred ownership to the state after the Second World War.As the Park is also a botanical garden, with botanical specimens from all over the world, it is divided into two main sections, one European and the other Japanese. The models for the European section were the French parks and the English landscaped garden. The Japanese section, with its pretty pavilion in the Chinese style, attracts crowds of visitors particularly in April when the cherry trees are covered in blossom. At that time of year 1,100 trees comprising 34 different varieties may be seen in all their glory. Those who prefer chrysanthemums wait for November when chrysanthemum shows are held in the Park.