On Saturday, July 11, I awoke early and headed off to visit the last destination of my Japanese garden adventure.
Rikugi-en, a landscape garden located in the heart of Tokyo, was built around 1700 for the 5th Tokugawa Shogun. The garden design replicates 88 scenes from famous Japanese poems, hence the name “six poems garden.”
The garden is an excellent example of an Edo period stroll garden. It features a large central pond, manmade hills, and a forested area, all connected by a network of trails.
The Fukiage Chaya tea house was a nice spot where I could over look the pond and enjoy my last bowl of green tea. Meanwhile the Takimino Chaya tea house and the Togetsukyo Bridge offered some spectacular views of the garden pond, a small stream, and waterfall.
Rikugi-en was indeed a wonderful and peaceful place for me to conclude my exploration of Japanese gardens.
