The is at the edge of the Musashino plateau just above Jindaiji Temple in Chōfu, Tokyo,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It extends across 425,433 square meters, and each of its thirty areas features varieties of one kind of plant. Displays of ''

ume ''Prunus mume'', the Chinese plum or Japanese apricot, is a tree species in the family Rosaceae. Along with bamboo, the plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China, from where it was then introduced to Kor ...

'',

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

azalea Azaleas ( ) are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Rhododendron sect. Tsutsusi, Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and ''Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate ...

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods or cornels, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous ...

peonies The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguishe ...

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...

or other can be seen every month. In front of the temple below there is also a

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

annex for

aquatic plants Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic environments ( saltwater or freshwater). In lakes, rivers and wetlands, aquatic vegetations provide cover for aquat ...

, where irises are cultivated. The garden has 100,000 trees and shrubs representing approximately 4,500 varieties, each with an identifying label. The park has a plant protection program to preserve endangered Japanese species and exhibitions and activities related to gardening for the benefit of local citizens. Just outside the rear gate there is an area where some plants are sold. The site of Jindai Botanical Garden was once part of a medieval

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

said to date from 1537. Later it was a nursery that supplied trees for Tokyo's streets. After the war it was opened to the public as Jindai ''ryokuchi'' (, green area) and in 1961 it was given its current name as it became the first

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

in Tokyo. A large greenhouse was built in 1984 holding the collection of tropical plants. In one section of the greenhouse is the lily pond. Downhill from the garden is Jindaiji Temple, the second oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

Location and access

The garden is at Jindaiji Motomachi 5-31-10, Chōfu City, Tokyo 182-0017 From bus stop 14 at the north exit of Chōfu Station on the Keiō Line, the visitor takes an Odakyū bus number 14 (destination Mitaka or

Kichijōji is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact commercial area to the north and south of Kichijōji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee houses. The area is a popu ...

), and gets off at ''Jindaiji Shokubutsu Kōen Mae''. (This takes about ten minutes.) The temple is on the left. Journey time is about 10 mins. As of February 2024, admission costs ¥500 for adults, ¥200 for children, and ¥250 for seniors. The garden is closed on Mondays (other than National holidays, when it is closed the day after). Its opening hours are 09:30 to 17:00; the ticket window closes at 16:00.

References

*Sumiko and Mimi Le Bourgeois, ''Water Walks in the Suburbs of Tokyo.''
Tokyo Metropolitan Park AssociationTokyo ParkMember of Botanic Gardens Conservation International
{{Authority control Chōfu, Tokyo Botanical gardens in Japan Gardens in Tokyo

Location and access

See also

References