Tokyo · Shiodome / TsukijiNo.225★★★Open in map →
Hama-rikyu Gardens
A 17th-century shogunal garden on the edge of Tokyo Bay, holding the city's only seawater tidal pond and an island teahouse — a few minutes from Shiodome.
Hama-rikyu Gardens occupy about 25 hectares on the edge of Tokyo Bay, in what was once open tidal flat. The garden was laid out in the mid-17th century for Matsudaira Tsunashige, younger brother of the fourth Tokugawa shogun Ietsuna, and refined by successive shoguns over the following century and a half. Its defining feature is the tidal pond, called Shioiri-no-ike, which is fed directly by seawater drawn in from the bay through sluice gates that follow the rise and fall of the tide — making it the only remaining seawater pond in Tokyo. In November 1952 the garden received its dual national designation as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site, the two highest classifications under Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.
Background & history
Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi formally took over the estate in 1686 and extended it substantially, adding the tidal pond. The garden later served as the site of a famous duck hunt hosted for US President Ulysses Grant in 1879. In October 1870 it passed to the Meiji Imperial Household, which renamed it Hamarikyu — the Hamarikyu Imperial Detached Palace. After the Second World War the garden was transferred to Tokyo Metropolis and opened to the public in April 1946.
What to look for — in walking order
- Shioiri-no-ike (tidal pond)
- fed by Tokyo Bay through sluice gates; the water level visibly changes with the tide
- Nakajima-no-Ochaya (island teahouse)
- a teahouse on a small island in the pond, reachable by wooden footbridge; matcha served here
- 300-year-old pine grove
- the original garden pines, including some that survived the 1923 earthquake and the wartime bombing
- Panorama of Shiodome skyscrapers
- the garden's pine canopy framing the towers directly beyond the south wall — the contrast the garden is known for
How to enjoy it
Enter through the Otemon gate from the Shiodome side and walk first to the tidal pond. The teahouse on the island (Nakajima-no-Ochaya) serves matcha and wagashi sweets; you can sit on the veranda and look back toward the skyscrapers over the pine trees. The garden also serves as the Tokyo embarkation point for the Sumida River cruise to Asakusa — boats depart from the pier inside the grounds.
How to actually get there
- Shimbashi Station → Shiodome Station (Toei Oedo Line, ~2 min, 1 stop)
- Shiodome Station → Hama-rikyu Otemon gate (walk south along waterfront, ~5 min)
- Enter garden → tidal pond → island teahouse (Nakajima-no-Ochaya) for matcha
- Shimbashi Stn →(Toei Oedo Line, 1 stop)→ Shiodome Stn → walk ~7 min
- From Shimbashi Station, take the Toei Oedo Line one stop to Shiodome Station (about 2 min). Follow the signs for Hama-rikyu and walk south about 5 minutes along the waterfront path to the Otemon (main gate). Total about 7 min. Trains run every few minutes.
- Return from Shiodome Stn or take the Sumida River boat to Asakusa
- Walk back to Shiodome Station for the Toei Oedo Line, or take the Sumida River cruise from the pier inside the garden directly to Asakusa (about 45 min; separate ticket required).
Before you go
- Cash
- Adult admission is 300 yen (as of 2026; confirm on the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Authority website before visiting). Matcha at the island teahouse is a separate charge. IC transit cards work on the Oedo Line.
- Closing days
- Closed every Monday (if Monday is a national holiday, closed the following Tuesday instead) and 29 December to 1 January.
- Another way
- Tsukiji Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line is about a 10-minute walk to the north gate — a good option if you are already in the Tsukiji area.
- After you get off
- From Shiodome Station, follow the waterfront path south about 5 minutes to the Otemon gate of Hama-rikyu Gardens.