Exploring Tokyo's landmark gardens

Hidden gems and old favorites connect one of the world's greatest metropolises to nature

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Dating from the Edo period, Tokyo's Happo-en garden is known for its fine collection of ancient bonsai. (All photos by Stephen Mansfield)

STEPHEN MANSFIELD, Contributing writer

TOKYO -- To call Tokyo a "garden city" flies in the face of conventional preconceptions, particularly those strongly conditioned views of the capital as a concrete jungle. There is some truth to this perception. Viewed from towers and rooftop observatories, the city can look like an exercise in thwarting nature, concealing or obstructing its greenery in the misguided cause of progress. Descend to ground level, though, and Tokyo reveals what may be the highest concentration of formal gardens of any Asian capital.

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