Shinkuju Gyoen National Park
Holy shit bawls, this is the most amazing landscaped garden/park place thing I've ever seen!
Yup. I should just end it there because no amount of words can possibly describe the utter majesty of this recreational paradise. And yes, I can say that with no damage to my masculinity. I love this garden. See? Ok, it kinda feels weird but its the truth. This is one the best landscaped gardens I've witnessed since coming to Japan. If you've read and seen my other posts then you'll know that's saying something!
First off, let me just say, this is a paid area. It only costs a measly 200 yen but as a result, its not considered a "public" park and as such, there are some restrictions. The most important one being NO ALCOHOL which made me do a double take. I take liquor with me everywhere. Well, just about everywhere. Normally, even when it says "NO ALCOHOL", I just stroll through and give the nod, knowing full well i'll be busting out my crown and coke and getting good and lit in a few short minutes but nope! Not here. They literally have a security checkpoint at the gate that will go through your bags to make sure you have no liquor! Maybe it's because of all the hanami parties that are going on, I'm not sure. Suffice it to say, I turned right around, removed said alcoholic beverage and proceeded to chug it within a minute. As I staggered through the gate along with the hundreds of other people who were there I was greeted by the MASSIVE grounds at Shinjuku Gyoen. This was going to be an all day experience. Fuck yes!
I can only describe the few designated areas because as I said, words cannot do this place justice. The park is distributed into 3 separate areas. There is the largest part referred to as simply the Japanese Landscaped Garden, there's the English Garden and finally there are the greenhouses. Now i'm going to tell you straight up that I didn't even get to check out the greenhouses. I was so fucking mesmerized that by the Japanese garden that by the time I even got to the greenhouses, the park was closed. Not closing...but CLOSED! I was being escorted off along with the hundreds of people behind me.
There are multiple ponds with amazing wood bridges all over the place. There are so many different types of cherry blossom trees, I couldnt even keep track. Not only that, but they had some of the BIGGEST trees cherry blossom trees that i'd seen yet! Just massive branches that reach so high into the sky it was like the sky was raining marshmallows. The branches were so heavy that some were even touching the ground as if to hold it self up. I'm telling you, this is a must see. To the fucking max.
The English garden was interesting. By English i'm pretty sure they mean England. There were groves of trees perfectly lined up but because of the season they weren't in bloom. It actually looked quite creepy. Especially considering the weather was cloudy and overcast during the day (it ended up raining a short while later). That being said, the overall symmetry and the arrangement was absolutely breathtaking. Also the sheer scale of the garden. It was in this huge open area and it looked to me to be one of those things that would be best appreciated from the air.
Again, unfortunately, I cant speak in regards to the greenhouses. As soon as I made my way over to the area in which they were housed, the guards were out escorted people in full force. I couldn't even sneak a quick peek. Regardless, I can say that the greenhouses were absolutely huge and probably filled with all types of crazy ass wonders. I'll have to check it out another time I suppose.
In conclusion, the Shinjuku Gyoen National Park is Clint Eastwood in garden form. It is the gnarliest, most badass yet tranquil and positive places to visit in Tokyo. Take a blanket or a tarp or something and bring food and friends. You can't not have an amazing time. As always, thanks for reading!
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