From Hama-rikyu Gardens to Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, Zojo-ji Temple, Tokyo Tower, and Azabudai Hills

Enter Hama-rikyu Gardens from Shiodome Station to explore the Shioiri-no-ike tidal pond and the Nakajima no Ochaya teahouse. After admiring the early Edo period daimyo garden at Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens near Hamamatsucho Station, head to Zojo-ji Temple, the family temple of the Tokugawa clan. This walking route concludes by ascending Tokyo Tower to overlook the cityscape and visiting the Central Green of Azabudai Hills.

History and Regional Appeal

The first two gardens on this route were both built on reclaimed coastal land. Hama-rikyu Gardens originated as a falconry ground for the Tokugawa shogunal family before Matsudaira Tsunashige reclaimed the sea and built a villa here. When Tsunashige's son Tsunatoyo became the sixth shogun, Tokugawa Ienobu, the residence became the Hama-goten, a secondary residence of the shogunal family. Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens originated on land granted to Senior Councilor Okubo Tadatomo by the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna, in 1678 (Enpo 6), and was known as Rakuju-en.

Both gardens originally featured "Shioiri-no-ike," ponds fed by seawater. The tidal pond at Hama-rikyu Gardens still draws in seawater today and is the only remaining tidal pond of its kind in Tokyo. At Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, reclamation on the bay side cut off the seawater supply, making it a freshwater pond today. During the Meiji period, both estates became imperial detached palaces.

In the latter half of the route, Zojo-ji Temple was selected in 1590 (Tensho 18) by Tokugawa Ieyasu as the family temple of the Tokugawa clan. Shogun Ienobu, who turned Hama-goten into a shogunal villa, also rests in the Tokugawa Shogun Graveyard at Zojo-ji Temple. Just beyond rises the 333-meter Tokyo Tower, completed in 1958, and further to the northwest lies Azabudai Hills, opened in 2023. This walk traces the eras through Edo gardens and temples, a Showa-era transmission tower, and contemporary urban spaces.

Major Highlights

• ​Hama-rikyu Gardens​​: A garden holding dual national designations as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site. Stretching 128 meters from the shore of the Shioiri-no-ike tidal pond to the central island (Nakajima), the O-tsutai-bashi Bridge is built entirely of Japanese cypress (hinoki). The Nakajima no Ochaya was a rest house where shoguns, their wives (Midaisama), and court nobles enjoyed views of the garden; the current structure was reconstructed in 1983. You can also view the Three-Hundred-Year Pine, planted during a major garden renovation under Ienobu.
• ​Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens​​: Alongside Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, this is one of the few surviving early Edo daimyo gardens in present-day Tokyo and is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. The pond, with a central island and a floating island, is laid out to evoke the sea and a lake. Highlights include a stone embankment modeled on the Su Causeway of West Lake in Hangzhou, China, and stone arrangements of Nebukawa stone transported from Odawara, which was the domain of the Okubo family.
• ​Zojo-ji Temple​​: One of the seven head temples of the Jodo sect. The Sangedatsumon gate, rebuilt in 1622 (Genna 8), is a two-story red-lacquered gate that ranks among the largest in eastern Japan and is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The Tokugawa Shogun Graveyard holds the tombs of six shoguns—Hidetada, Ienobu, Ietsugu, Ieshige, Ieyoshi, and Iemochi—as well as Princess Kazunomiya, the formal wife of Iemochi.
• ​Tokyo Tower​​: A 333-meter general telecommunications tower completed in 1958 and a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. On the 150-meter-high Main Deck, visitors can look straight down 150 meters through a glass floor called the Skywalk Window. The 250-meter-high Top Deck is accessed via the Top Deck Tour, which requires advance reservations.
• ​Azabudai Hills​​: Opened in 2023 under the concept of "a town like a public square, wrapped in greenery and connecting people." The approximately 6,000-square-meter Central Green is landscaped with greenery that changes through the seasons and features public art such as Tokyo Forest Kid by Nara Yoshitomo. It also houses teamLab Borderless, relocated from Odaiba.

Recommended Route and Duration

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. It takes about a 7-minute walk from Shiodome Station on the Toei Oedo Line to Hama-rikyu Gardens. Walk along the edge of the Shioiri-no-ike tidal pond in the south garden, cross O-tsutai-bashi Bridge, and head toward Nakajima no Ochaya. Edo-period remains, such as the perimeter stone seawalls, can also be observed.

Walking about 750 meters southwest from Hama-rikyu Gardens brings you to the entrance of Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, near the North Exit of JR Hamamatsucho Station. Passing through the entrance reveals an expansive panoramic view over the pond. You can also take in the contrast between the surrounding mid-to-high-rise buildings and the Edo garden.

From Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, walking about 970 meters west brings you to Zojo-ji Temple. The path leading from the Daimon outer gate to the Sanmon gate and on to the Main Hall represents the progression from our mundane world toward the Pure Land. The Sangedatsumon gate is currently undergoing conservation and repair work scheduled through 2032. The view of Tokyo Tower rising behind Zojo-ji Temple is widely recognized as one of Tokyo's signature sights.

Walking about 290 meters west-northwest from Zojo-ji Temple brings you to Tokyo Tower. You can also climb up to the Main Deck in about 12 to 13 minutes using the outdoor staircase of approximately 600 steps from the rooftop of FootTown beneath the tower legs. The staircase is open for climbing only on designated days, and is closed in rain or rough weather. Finally, head about 520 meters northwest to Azabudai Hills. Walk through the Central Green; when departing, the directly connected Kamiyacho Station or Roppongi-itchome Station is convenient.

Summary of the Experience

From the gardens of shogunal villas and daimyo estates to the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa clan, and onward from a Showa-era communications tower to a new urban development of the Reiwa era—walking from Edo-period seaside reclaimed land to the modern district of Azabudai lays out some 350 years of Tokyo's history along a single path. When evening falls, take one last look up at the illuminated Tokyo Tower.