Shrine
Hikawa
Bunkyo•558m(7 min walk)
Koishikawa Botanical Garden
東京大学大学院理学系研究科附属植物園Tokyo
Garden
What makes this place special?
At a Glance
Koishikawa Botanical Garden is a University of Tokyo botanical garden of about 16 hectares in Hakusan, Bunkyo. It is open to the public. It began as the shogunate's Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden, moved in 1684 to a villa site of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. It is regarded as Japan's oldest botanical garden. In 1722 a clinic for the poor, the Koishikawa Yojosho, was set up within the grounds, and Aoki Konyo trial-grew the sweet potato here.
The garden joined Tokyo Imperial University in 1877 and still serves research. Its collections hold some 4,000 species, with notable plantings of camellias, cherries, maples, Japanese primroses, bonsai and alpine plants. Among the sights are a Japanese garden, an iris garden, a public greenhouse, a tree known as Newton's apple, a grapevine linked to Mendel and the well of the old clinic. Since 2012 the site has been designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty and a National Historic Site.
Goshuin within a short walk
Temples, shrines and castles near Koishikawa Botanical Garden that give goshuin, closest first.
How do I visit?
Visit Duration
90 minutes
Community
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