Hama-rikyu Gardens wandeltocht met Matcha & Japanse snoepjes

Tokyo’s Hamarikyu Gardens is a place where no urban noise can be heard, and the skyscrapers of the Shiodome district are reflected in the water of ancient ponds, creating a surprising contrast between old and new Japan. We were met by emerald pine trees with bizarrely curved (windy) trunks, winding gravel paths and the famous Shioiri no-ike pond, which is filled with seawater at high tides and its level changes throughout the day, making every visit to the garden unique. The main jewel is the Nakajima no-o-chaya tea house, which is located right on an island in the middle of the pond, which we reached through picturesque wooden bridges. Sitting on a tatami, you can taste real matcha and traditional wagashi sweets (not the most budget set - apparently with a surcharge for wonderful views and an atmosphere of peace and quiet). Each season has its own charm. We were here in the third decade of March. The sakura was still in bloom, the pink Japanese camellia bushes were in bloom, and the rapeseed clearings were already positively bright sunny yellow. Impressed by the size, caring buttresses and venerable age of the 300-year-old legendary black pine. I think it's worth taking the time to take a leisurely stroll through the charming gardens of Hamarikyu (better accompanied by a guide, as was the case in our case) to experience Zen in the heart of Tokyo. And don't forget to stamp your garden visit booklet like Japanese travelers do.

Lovely tour of the garden with Naoko! She was so kind and helpful during the tour, especially with my 6 year old son, keeping him entertained with origami during the tea service. Would highly recommend!

We were met as we approached the park, quickly handling the business and getting right into the tour explaining how this was started centuries ago for the shogun and family. Once inside, she kept the history moving by taking us right to the three hundred year old black pine tree that was planted as part of. Nori kept the history going as we jhmoved on past remains of moats and canals where supplies were offloaded, then on to more plantings including an orange tree that was planted when an elephant was there. She lead us to the tidal pond by having it appear when we exited the surrounding forrest. For more wonderful views of the teahouse on an island and the bridges to it, she took us around rather than rushing across a bridge. When we got to the teahouse, we enjoyed a snack as she related how the view use to be to the ocean instead of the sky scrapers. From there we moved on to the lesser maintained parts such as the duck hunting ponds and canals, but we were able to imagine it through her description. The time seemed to fly by as she took us around and back to the exit. Although the garden tour was done, she made sure we made it to the local subway station and sent us on our way happy and having learned quite a bit.

Yoshi was an amazing guide and very informative throughout our tour. She met us early and even put up with a very rainy afternoon in the gardens! Despite the rain, it was great fun and she was the best! The gardens were beautiful despite the rain and the tea ceremony was a blast!

Very wet day however a lovely walking tour

We had a wonderful, relaxed guided tour through the gardens. The tea and sweets were lovely. Our guide, Nori was so helpful.

The tour guide was excellent. She explained about the culture of Tokyo. She showed us around on time and we were able to enjoy Tokyo. I was not bored one bit.

The contrast between the history of Edo and the buildings was very beautiful. The matcha was fun. Our guide, AKI, was very attentive. I am glad she was our guide.