Garden · Mejirodai

Higo Hosokawa Garden 肥後細川庭園

A free, hillside stroll garden built on the former estate of the Hosokawa lords of Kumamoto, where a pond garden sits beneath a forested slope and a Taisho-era study house serves matcha.

About

Higo Hosokawa Garden lies at the foot of the Mejirodai bluff above the Kanda River, using the natural slope of the Musashino plateau as a backdrop. It was part of the Edo residence of the Hosokawa clan, daimyo of Kumamoto, and their family still runs the Eisei Bunko museum at the top of the hill. The garden centres on a large pond ringed by stepping stones, with a waterfall-fed stream tumbling down through the woods. At the entrance stands Shoseikaku, a Taisho-period building that was once the family's study hall, now restored with a teahouse where you can sip matcha overlooking the pond. Locals visit for autumn leaves (with an evening light-up in late November) and spring cherries, but even then it is far calmer than Rikugien.

Highlights

• Pond garden set against the wooded Mejirodai slope
• Shoseikaku, a restored Taisho-era study house with tea and garden views
• Late-November autumn light-up with lanterns
• Free entry and long opening hours
• Neighbours Eisei Bunko Museum and Sekiguchi Basho-an

Tips

• Climb the steep Munatsuki-zaka slope beside the garden to reach Eisei Bunko museum and the cathedral.
• Walk in along the Kanda River cherry promenade from Edogawabashi Station.
• Winter hours end at 16:30 (Nov–Jan).
• Shoseikaku's tea service runs on limited days, ask at the building.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Eisei Bunko MuseumMuseum · 190 m away
• Sekiguchi Basho-anLocal Secret · 210 m away
• Hotel Chinzanso TokyoStay · 370 m away
• Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda UniversityMuseum · 390 m away
• Waseda University Okuma AuditoriumLandmark & Tower · 460 m away
• St. Mary's Cathedral, TokyoLocal Secret · 470 m away
• Edogawa ParkPark · 540 m away
• MENSHO (Gokokuji)Ramen & Noodles · 730 m away