Originally reclaimed as a villa and secondary residence for the shogun (将軍) during the Edo Period (1603-1867, 江戸時代, Edo-jidai), towards the end of that era, the villa became a residence for foreign diplomats when visiting Japan. After the Meiji Restoration (明治維新, Meiji Ishin), the villa was named Hama-rikyū (浜離宮 beachside palace) by the Emperor (天皇, Tennō, Heavenly Sovereign), and used to host foreign diginitaries, including a former US President, Ulysses Grant, and Crown Prince Frederick William of Germany in 1879. The gardens were destroyed during air raids of the Second World War, and became a public park after the end of the war.
Today, the Hama-rikyū Gardens is surrounded by a moat of seawater on all sides, and is famously characterized by its large seawater pond, the Shioiri-no-ike (塩入の池), that takes in water from Tokyo Bay. As such, the pond actually plays host to a whole range of sea creatures including eels and sea bass. There is also a 118m long wooden bridge made of hinoki (檜, Japanese Cypress) called the Otsutaibashi (お伝い橋), as well as a traditional wooden tea house, Nakajima-no-ochaya (中島の御茶屋), that once hosted the shogun, nobles, and foreign dignitaries.
Near the entrance of the park is a 300-year-old pine tree, and in the park you can also find two kamoba (鴨場), the former duck hunting grounds used by the shogun for entertainment.
The park is a great place for an early morning stroll, to enjoy this natural paradise right next to Tokyo Bay (東京湾, Tōkyō-wan) and surrounded by skyscrapers. It’s an interesting contrast, and is characteristic of the mishmash of areas within Tokyo.
