Spring in the air at Tokyo’s Rikugien Gardens night viewing event

Rikugien Gardens in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward will be opened after hours to offer visitors the chance to experience the garden illuminated at night for a special spring event starting Saturday.

With spring in the air and cherry blossom season fast approaching Tokyo, the Rigukien Gardens special viewing in spring event will see the traditional Japanese garden open from 18:30 - 21:00 in the evening for a limited period during which visitors can enjoy illuminations that highlight some of the garden’s features.

A designated walking course - starting from near the Someimon gate entrance and ending at the Seimon gate exit - will take night-time visitors around the kaiyu, or “circuit-style,” garden which centers on a large pond. 

The course takes visitors past two huge shidarezakura weeping cherry trees which will be illuminated during the event and which organizers say they hope will start blooming from Saturday, perhaps reaching their peak a week later.  

(Illumination photo spot for the spring night viewing event at Rikugien Gardens. Photo taken March 14, 2024.)

Other illuminated features during the night-time viewing event include the striking form of the over 300-year-old Fukiage-no-matsu pine tree, and the stone features and pine trees on Naka-no-shima island, one of Rikugien’s most celebrated views. Visitors can take a rest at the Takimi-chaya gazebo in the southwest of the garden to enjoy the illuminated rock arrangement and small waterfall. 

(Illumination features for the spring night viewing event at Rikugien Gardens.  Photos taken March 14, 2024.)

The design of Rikugien Gardens is heavily influenced by the classical form of Japanese poetry known as waka.  

During the spring night-time viewing event moving images and waka poetry related to Rikugien Gardens in spring, along with actual images of the garden, will be projected onto the wall of the traditional kura storehouse near the Seimon gate. 

(Waka poetry-themed projection during spring night viewing event at Rikugien Gardens.  Photo taken March 14, 2024.)

Those visitors whose Japanese is up to task might be able to enjoy the garden’s kotoba-no-akari feature, illuminated panels of spring-themed waka poetry erected at 10 locations around the garden. 

During the event matcha and Japanese confectionery will be sold at the Fukiage-chaya tea house and Shinsen-tei house, and other foods will be available from stalls set up by some of the local stores. 

(Matcha and Japanese confectionery at Rikugien Gardens. Photos take March 14, 2024.)

Along with Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, also in Bunkyo Ward, Rikugien was considered one of the two major gardens in the capital at the time of its construction. In 1938 the garden was donated to the City of Tokyo and opened to the public. 

The Rikugien Gardens special viewing in spring event runs from March 16 to March 24, 2024. Event hours are from 18:30 - 21:00. (The garden closes at 17:00 as usual, opening again at 18:30 for the night-time viewing.)

Advance event tickets can be purchased online. Same-day tickets can be purchased at a ticket counter at the entrance. 

Event webpage: https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/special/rikugien_lighting2024_sp/