Tokugawaen Garden, Aichi

“Tokugawaen Garden” is a park of approximately 45,000 square meters in the center of Nagoya. There is a public library called “Housa Bunko” that houses the classics and “Tokugawa Art Museum”. It is a Japanese garden where you can enjoy the healing of nature, the charm of Japanese culture, and the autumn leaves.
Tokugawaen is located about 3 km east of Nagoya Castle. By train from Nagoya Station, take the Japan Railway Chuo Line for 12 minutes to Ohzone Station South Exit, about a 10-minute walk. In the case of buses, get off at “Tokugawaen Shindeki” Station, about 30 minutes by Kikan Bus, and about 3 minutes on foot. It is also included in the course of the bus “Nagoya Sightseeing Bus Me-guru” that circulates tourist spots in Nagoya city, making it easy to visit even by public transport. Kuromon Entrance is convenient for visitors by bus, and Ohsone Entrance is convenient for trains.
In the first place, “Tokugawaen Garden” originated from the Osone residence built as a retreat for the Owari Tokugawa family second lord, Mitsutomo. In 1931, Nagoya City received donations from the nineteenth Owari family owner, Yoshichika, and made it publicly available as “Tokugawaen Garden” the following year.
It was almost destroyed by the air attack of the Second World War. It was renovated as a city park after the war, but it was redeveloped from 2001 in preparation for the 2005 “Aichi Expo”. And it opened in 2004 and now.
When you enter the garden, you will first see a Japanese cypress wooden bridge called “Kosenkyo Bridge”. The area around Kosenkyo Bridge is the best spot for autumn leaves in the park. Also, the maple near the bridge turns red at the top and yellow at the bottom, so the contrast between red and yellow is so beautiful that it’s a must-see.
The best time to see the autumn leaves at Tokugawaen Garden is from late November to early December. If it is an average year, it will start to color from mid-November. The “Autumn Leaves Festival” held every year is a popular event that many people visit. There will be night light-ups, koto music concerts, flower arrangements, and Nagoya Kabuki special performances.

The Chisen-kaiyushiki-teien style

Tokugawaen Garden in the place of approximately 3km of east from Nagoya-jo Castle, and its origin is that the second generation of Owari feudal lord Mitsutomo TOKUGAWA built the Ozone residence in 1695. After receiving contribution of residence and a garden from the Owari Tokugawa family in 1931, Nagoya-shi opened it to the public as “Tokugawa-en.” Tokugawa-en is a garden of the Chisen-kaiyushiki-teien style (a stroke-style garden around a big pond) which is seen in Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa-shi, Ishikawa, not to enjoy it to see a garden from a building.

Enable to take a large view of “solemnness”

The daimyo garden which was the Lord of the Edo period is also this Chisen-kaiyushiki-teien style. The state in which a clear stream flows through a waterfall to a ravine into the pond likening to the sea is condensing the natural scene of Japan symbolically. Furthermore, the difference between the high and low area, forest with nature on, and the big rock arranged in three dimensions are the features of Tokugawa-en, and it enables it to take a large view of “solemnness” by changing boldly the scene which was varied.
It is a garden which can be enjoyed through the four seasons, such as fresh green, autumnal leaves and a peony, and flowers of a Japanese iris.

Precious building group

The black gates of a front entrance are ruins of the residence of the Owari Tokugawa family completed in 1900, and are the total zelkova structure. Including consecutive side tenement houses and walls, it is a few inheritances which escaped destruction by fires by the massive air raid in 1945, and is a precious building group conveying the feature of the samurai residence.

The ship hut is left behind on the pond

Shortly after entering inside the garden, there is “Kosenkyo” which is a timber bridge of white cedar. When you go ahead through some mountain paths across Kosenkyo-bridge, you arrive at Ryusenko (pond) which is the place that opened out most in a garden.
The ship hut is left behind on the pond. It is said that the ship of 16 was floated on the lake those days.

Lighting of autumnal leaves can be seen

The autumnal leaves of Tokugawa-en begin to color from around the middle of November every year, and will greet best time to see from the end of November to early in December. Although the usual business hours are till 17:30, it can extend till 20:30 late in November every year, and lighting of autumnal leaves can be seen.

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