This elegant residence has a rose garden perfect for Tokyo trips in the month of May, but the classic Taisho-era designs make it worth seeing year-round.
The Kyu-Furukawa Gardens might take pride of place along the northern edge of Tokyo’s busy Yamanote train line, but this popular springtime destination isn’t your average Japanese garden. While it certainly has the quiet ponds landscaping and Japanese maples you might expect in Japan, this rather grand estate and its grounds are actually known for a less traditional Japanese flower: the rose. The annual Kyu-Furukawa Gardens Spring Rose Festival draws a crowd each May when the garden blooms in a profusion of reds, pinks, and yellows, and it becomes Tokyo’s most spectacular rose garden.
Kyu-Furukawa Gardens Spring Rose Festival 2024 (旧古河庭園 春のバラフェスティバル 2024)
2024 Festival Dates: April 28 ~ June 30
Hours: 9:00 – 17:00
Admission: 150 yen
Tokyo Parks Website (en) | Otani Museum Website (jp)
Back in Japan’s Meiji period (1868-1912), in the days long before these rose gardens had become the destination they are today, the original owner of this distinctive residence was the notable politician Mutsu Munemitsu, who played a part in both domestic Japanese political rebellions and international diplomatic relations. Mutsu’s son was adopted into the family of Toranosuke Furukawa, a major industrialist and mine owner, and the inherited lands eventually became part of the Furukawa family holdings, giving them the name still used today.
In the early Taisho period (1912-1926), an adjacent patch of land was purchased and the entire Furukawa estate was redesigned from the ground up, giving us the beautiful grounds and buildings we see today – widely regarded as an iconic example of Taisho-era garden design. Ever since the redesign the bottom of the hill has been dedicated to a small Japanese-style garden, but the main focus has always been higher up the slope, where the hillside is given over to terraced beds of colorful rose bushes and climbing banksia roses. Placed like a crown at the top of the hill, the European-style residence compliments the European-style gardens, as both were designed by the English architect Josiah Conder, who is noted for having influenced the design of a number of Japanese buildings during his career with his distinctly European style.
While the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens roses stand out with their colorful petals and carefully manicured geometric arrangements, the Japanese garden planned by famous Kyoto garden designer Ogawa Jihei is also not to be missed. The small pond is notable for being carefully shaped into the Japanese character for heart (心), lending it uniquely graceful curves, and the splashing of multiple waterfalls provides a calming background hum.
After the war the Furukawa family’s industrial empire began to break up, and this beautiful house with its manicured gardens was first offered to industrial entrepreneur Yonetaro Otani, before becoming state property. After quite a few years of everyday use and wear, the Otani Museum stepped in to restore the facilities inside and out, and the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens have been open to the public since 1989. Visitors can now buy tickets (400 yen) to freely explore a handful of rooms on the building’s first floor, or time their visit for a special guided tour (800 yen), which includes a look at the second floor, containing a surprising number of Japanese-style rooms (despite the surrounding architecture). Guests looking for a break from walking through the gardens can also find refreshments in the dining hall cafe or even the Japanese-style garden teahouse, where tea and sweets are offered for 500 yen.
Whether you’re deeply interested in the unique mix of Western and Japanese cultures that epitomized Japan’s Taisho period, you can’t get enough of roses, or you just love exploring gardens in Japan, the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens are definitely worth a visit during the May rose season, or even throughout the rest of the year.
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Details
NAME:Kyu-Furukawa Gardens (旧古河庭園)
MAP
ACCESS:Kami-Nakasato Station / Nishigahara Station / Komagome Station
https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/teien/en/kyu-furukawa/outline.html
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