The living botanical encyclopedia of Shinjuku is something like “Noah’s Garden”.
With a circumference of 3.5 KM and an area of 58.3 hectares, the vast size of the land is apparent by simply looking at Google Maps. It is an area of green you cannot normally imagine in the middle of a city. This green nature was guarded by the Natio family and expanded by the Meiji government. The green beauty was polished off as a part of the Emperor’s gardens.
There are many commentaries and pieces of information pertaining to the various plants of Shinjuku Gyoen. Different than a botanical encyclopedia you see in a book, Shinjuku Gyoen is a real life botanical encyclopedia you can see with your own eyes. The Meiji government who utilized the land for a plant research center is the backdrop to how this came to be. In the year 1877 alone, over 3,000 types of plants were collected.
Knowing this history and walking through Shinjuku Gyoen here feels more like “Noah’s Garden” rather than “Noah’s Ark”
The number of visitors who come to view the cherry blossoms in spring has grown exponentially in recent years. Although this number totalled 780,000 last year the park does not become overly noisy because alcohol consumption is prohibited.
The blossoming period is different for each type of cherry tree, and because there is many types in the park you can view the blossoms over a relatively long period of time, from the middle of March to the middle of April. Shinjuku Gyoen is also unique because many trees are left unpruned. This means that one doesn’t have to look up at the Sakura, instead it is possible to view the cherry blossoms from your own direct line of sight.
In the park you can see the mysterious shaped Himalayan Cedar, the rare Lebanon Cedar, the over 40 meter tall oriental plane, the line of plane trees, and the unpruned Ginkgo tree. Many trees you see on the streets throughout Japan are a product of Shinjuku Gyoen seedlings.
In each tree there is a story, in knowing the background of the scenery you are witnessing, your view may come to change. Here we will introduce the story of 16 separate landscapes. It doesn’t matter where you begin from, but we think it is best to enter from the Shinjuku gate where you can see the Himalayan Cedar. We want you to start your journey considering your own mental scenery.