Shinjuku Gyoen was formerly a garden run by the Imperial household (宮内庁, Kunai-chō) in 1879, and the current garden configuration was completed in 1906. The garden became a national garden in 1949, and is a favorite hanami (花見, Sakura Viewing) spotamong the Japanese locals.
The garden blends together three different styles of landscaping: French Formal, English, and Japanese. The northern side of the garden uses a combination of French Formal and English landscaping, and plays host to a greenhouse, as well as a rose garden. The southern side of the garden uses more Japanese style landscaping, with tea houses, ponds, maple trees and other seasonal flowers.
