Hibiya Park Audio Guide

Hibiya Park: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Hibiya Park

   Welcome to Hibiya Park, known in Japanese as Hibiya Kōen, in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo. Look at where it sits and you will see why it feels so unlikely. It covers about 40 acres, in the middle of one of the most powerful corners of the capital. The east gardens of the Imperial Palace lie to the north. The Shinbashi district stretches to the southeast. To the west is Kasumigaseki, the government district. This guide follows the park's story in four steps: the water and warriors that came before it, the Western-style garden that opened in 1903, the pond and its crane fountain, and the seasonal rhythm of cherry blossom. First, though, take a breath. Carefully tended trees, grass lawns and flower beds make this park an oasis of calm in the heart of the city. Keep your eyes open as you wander, because every path here sits on layers of history.

2. 02

   From Inlet to Parade Ground at Hibiya Park

   Picture this ground long before any lawn was planted. Before the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the whole area of Hibiya Park was sea. It was a body of water called the Hibiya Inlet, and the land you are walking on was reclaimed from it over time. Then came the age of Edo Castle. The park lies just outside the castle's Hibiya Gate, which made this prime real estate. From the Edo period right up to the end of the shogunate, the land held the upper residences of powerful domains, among them the Matsudaira Hizen-no-kami. After the Meiji era began, the ground changed purpose again and became an army parade ground. So before it was a garden, this was a place of sea, then of feudal lords, then of drilling soldiers. That neighborhood still shapes the park. The name Chiyoda, the ward you are in, means field of a thousand generations. It was inherited from Chiyoda Castle, another name for Edo Castle, whose site is now the Imperial Palace just to the north.

3. 03

   Japan's First Western-Style Park at Hibiya Park

   Hibiya Park: About 40 Somei Yoshino cherry trees are planted across the park, and some bloom around the water's edge.

   In 1903, the 36th year of the Meiji era, Hibiya Park opened its gates. Japan wanted a modern park worthy of its capital, and this was the answer. It was born as the first Western-style park in the country. The man behind the design and the construction was Doctor Honda Seiroku. He turned the former parade ground into a landscape of lawns, flower beds and trees, a very different idea of public space from the castle grounds and daimyo estates that had come before. Imagine what a novelty that was. Ordinary citizens could now walk into a planned green space in the middle of the city, simply to enjoy it. Today that vision still holds. Look around at the open lawns and neatly kept plantings. They are descendants of an experiment that began over a century ago, when Tokyo decided it needed a park of its own.

4. 04

   Cloud Pond, Cranes and Cherry Blossom at Hibiya Park

   Hibiya Park: Each direction tells a different chapter of Tokyo's story, and the park sits quietly in the middle of them all.

   Now find the water. Inside the park lies Kumogata Pond, the Cloud-Shaped Pond, named for its flowing outline. At its center is the fountain known as the Crane Fountain. Among ponds with fountains in urban parks, this is said to be the third oldest in Japan, so you are looking at a piece of the country's park history in liquid form. In spring the pond becomes even more beautiful. About 40 Somei Yoshino cherry trees are planted across the park, and some bloom around the water's edge. When blossom season arrives, people spread sheets beneath the trees and settle in for hanami, the custom of flower viewing. The scene feels remarkably far from a busy city center, even though you are only steps from towering offices and government buildings. If you visit outside cherry season, do not worry. Trees, lawns and flower beds are carefully maintained throughout the year, so there is always something to notice.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you drift on, take one last look at where you are standing. The park sits where the sea once lapped, where feudal lords once kept their residences and where soldiers once drilled. Now it is a place for strolling and picnics. As you leave, notice how quickly the scenery changes once you step beyond the trees. To the north are the palace gardens. To the west are the offices of government. To the southeast are the streets of Shinbashi. Each direction tells a different chapter of Tokyo's story, and the park sits quietly in the middle of them all. Why not choose a direction you have not yet explored, and see what the city looks like when you carry the park's layers of history with you?