Rikugien is one of Tokyo's great Edo-period landscape gardens, laid out in 1695 for Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a powerful Tokugawa daimyo. Paths loop around a central pond, wooded hills, stone bridges, and teahouses, with views carefully staged rather than left to chance.
It is especially popular in spring, when the cherry trees bloom and the garden is lit after dark. Autumn colour is also excellent, and the mood is calmer than in the better-known parks around Ueno.