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Shinjuku / PLACE

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

A long lawn vista, symmetrical roses and plane trees, and paths around ponds: three garden traditions meet across 58.3 hectares.

Visit fitAnyone with half a day to walk · seasonal plants and garden-style enthusiasts

Completed as an imperial garden in 1906 and opened as a national garden in 1949: 58.3 ha, with a Western layout by Henri Martinet of the Versailles horticultural school, about 900 cherry trees of 70 varieties and a greenhouse of over 1,000 species.

Good to know

The Shinjuku skyline rising beyond the English lawn — garden and city in one frame. Look for the 1896 Western-style rest house (Important Cultural Property) and the Taiwan pavilion.

Lawn and path in Shinjuku Gyoen with high-rises beyond
The greenhouse path, with the Shinjuku skyline beyond the lawn
Image infoXimonic (Simo Räsänen) · 2024-05-18 · CC-BY-SA-4.0 · resized and cropped

Three ways to arrange a garden

Shinjuku Gyoen became an imperial garden in 1906 and opened to the public in 1949. The landscape garden opens a long view across lawn and large trees. The formal garden sets about 140 plane trees in four symmetrical rows around roses; the Japanese garden changes the scene along paths around large ponds. The contrast lies in how each layout directs movement and sight. Follow the change from a straight vista to a curved pond path, rather than treating the whole garden as one backdrop.

WHERE · On foot from here

Which gate to use

A large walled garden: the gate you choose decides your route. There are three gates, and each one is closest to a different station.

Shinjuku Gate新宿門5 min · Shinjukugyoemmae Exit 1Okido Gate大木戸門5 min · Shinjukugyoemmae Exit 2Sendagaya Gate千駄ヶ谷門5 min · JR SendagayaShinjuku Gyoen National Garden新宿御苑Shinjuku-gyoemmae新宿御苑前駅Shinjuku-sanchome新宿三丁目駅Sendagaya千駄ケ谷駅Kokuritsu-kyogijo国立競技場駅Kita-sando北参道駅~5 min~10 minMeiji-dori Ave.250 mNShinjuku Gate新宿門5 min ·Shinjukugyoemmae Exit 1Okido Gate大木戸門Sendagaya Gate千駄ヶ谷門5 min · JR SendagayaShinjuku GyoenNational GardenShinjuku-gyoemmae新宿御苑前駅Sendagaya千駄ケ谷駅Kokuritsu-kyogijo国立競技場駅Kita-sando北参道駅~5 min~10 min250 mN
This placeAbout 5 · 10 min on foot from here (computed, approximate)Official gates

Official guidance

Read together

  1. Sekaido Shinjuku Main Store — Not plotted · exact location unconfirmed

Walking bands are computed by FOW on the OpenStreetMap surface street network at 80 m/min and drawn as a smoothed approximate area around the streets reached. They ignore exit positions, station interiors, underground passages, signals, slopes and routes inside buildings — not directions; follow on-site signs.

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Walking bands: computed by FOW · Station and gate notes: official guidance (2026-10-16)

A first circuit from Shinjuku Gate

After shopping on the Shinjuku side, enter at Shinjuku Gate, begin with the Japanese garden and ponds, then emerge onto the landscape garden’s lawn. Extend east to the formal garden and plane-tree avenue if you have more time. A tulip tree over 30 m tall marks the vista running from Shinjuku Gate towards the formal garden. This guide suggests 60 minutes for a shorter garden walk or 90–120 minutes to connect all three areas. Autumn roses and foliage depend on the season’s weather, so use the current highlights notice.

Greenhouse, architecture and the gate ticket

For plant forms, add the greenhouse, which cultivates about 2,700 species, mainly tropical and subtropical. In the Japanese garden, the Chinese-style former Goryotei pavilion and the Rakuutei and Shoten-tei teahouses add architectural frames to the ponds. Their public hours and tea service differ from the garden’s overall hours. Standard admission is ¥500; tea and meals are separate purchases. In late autumn, entry closes at 16:00, so work back from that cutoff if shopping comes first. Follow the prohibited-item rules below, including alcohol and sports equipment.

Read it with

Corner building in Shinjuku 3-chome with the vertical Sekaido sign
Sekaido Shinjuku Main StoreShop for materials, then reach the garden before last entry.
The Shinjuku Chuo Park sign in front of its artificial waterfall
Shinjuku Chuo ParkConsider the park separately when the paid garden’s schedule and rules do not fit.
Exterior of the SOMPO Museum of Art building
SOMPO Museum of Art“QUIET COUNTERPOINTS” · Paid · one painting
Tokyo Opera City Tower and its podium
NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]“QUIET COUNTERPOINTS” · Partly free · media art

Before you go

Hours and fees
Adult admission is ¥500; ages 65+ and students 16+ pay ¥250; ages 15 and under enter free. Hours: 1 October–14 March 09:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00); 15 March–30 September 09:00–18:00 (17:30), except 11 June–31 July 09:00–19:00 (18:30).
Good to know
Closed Mondays (next weekday after a holiday) and 29 December–3 January. Open daily 25 March–24 April and 1–15 November. Busy cherry-blossom dates may require booking. Alcohol, bicycles and pets are prohibited; assistance dogs are excepted.
Access
Free wheelchair loans and accessible toilets. Some paths have gravel, slopes or steps; use the gate’s barrier-free guide and UD map.
Official information ↗
See this item in the Atlas ↗Read in the Mapbook ↗
Sources · image info
  1. Access | Shinjuku GyoenJapan Ministry of the Environment · as of 2026-09-29
  2. Admission | Shinjuku GyoenJapan Ministry of the Environment · as of 2026-09-29
  3. GSI AddressSearch JSON: 新宿御苑Geospatial Information Authority of Japan · as of 2026-09-29
  4. Garden Rules | Shinjuku GyoenJapan Ministry of the Environment · as of 2026-09-29
  5. Universal Design | Shinjuku GyoenJapan Ministry of the Environment · as of 2026-09-29
  6. Shinjuku Gyoen — garden styles and greenhouseNational Gardens Association · as of 2026-10-19
  7. Shinjuku Gyoen — representative gardensMinistry of the Environment · as of 2026-10-19