Kyu-Furukawa Gardens Guide – Visit with The Tokyo Pass

Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, which get their name after Baron Toranosuke Furukawa, are beautiful and enchanting all year round. But if there’s a best time to visit them, it would probably be from May to June and from October to November when the gardens’ spring and autumn roses bloom. Colorful autumn foliage can also be enjoyed on the premises between November and December.

 What makes the park’s flora special during those times is that it comes with a stunning view. A rose may smell sweet no matter its surroundings, but it looks a lot more photogenic when paired with a grand Western-style mansion in the background. The building in question rests atop a hill, overlooking a Western-style garden on the slope, where the roses can be found, and a Japanese-style garden at the bottom. The Western-style parts of the park are the works of famed architect Josiah Conder.

 Points of interest around the garden include the Karetaki dry waterfall, a traditional garden design that uses rocks to recreate the image of falling water, as well as the Otaki waterfall. The gardens are also home to the Shinji-ike pond in the shape of the Japanese character for “heart.”