Tropical plants from places like Okinawa, Ogasawara, and overseas are collected in the Shinjuku Gyouen Greenhouse. The greenhouse was recently refurbished in 2012. The history of the greenhouse dates back to 1875, during the period when the building was part of the Natio-Shinjuku testing center. It was the first greenhouse in all of Japan, and was originally just a 100 square meter small glass structure. It was from this greenhouse that many different species of plants eventually came to be raised throughout Japan.
During World War II the greenhouse was damaged and became a mere pile of rubble. A large amount of plants were also lost. After the war, reconstruction took place and it was enlarged to become one of the largest greenhouses in Asia. Now the greenhouse is responsible for protecting endangered plant species.
It is a greenhouse that cultivates around 2,700 types of plants. Just observing the various plants is enjoyable. If you have time you should also walk around towards the back of the building. There you can see the remnants of the greenhouse prior to the war, and you can get a peek behind the scenes of the building.
If you see the workers you may just catch the shadow of Fukuba Hayato, the towering figure of Shinjuku Gyoen we previously discussed. A person once said, “There is nothing as beautiful as the eyes of a person who has found a job they can devote a whole lifetime to.” I definitely think that this is true.