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

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. 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'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

'',

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 nam ...

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

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

peonies The peony or paeony is a 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 distinguished, ...

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north o ...

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

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

annex for

aquatic plants Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...

, 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 is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

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, an ...

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 5-31-1, 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 __NOTOC__ is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact but popular commercial area to the north and south of Kichijoji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee house ...

), 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 January 2015, 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