If you are stationed in the Kanto Plain and are looking for a day trip to relax yourself in nature, I strongly recommend Jindai Botanical Park in Tokyo. The vast grounds, which include an abundance of plants and a historied temple, have the making of an easy and relaxing afternoon.

When I heard roses were in full bloom at the park, I made sure to visit the very next day despite a drizzly weather report. I hopped on a train to Chofu Station and then a bus to the park, which took me less than a two-hour commute from my home in Chiba Prefecture. If you go there from Camp Zama or NAF Atsugi, it will be well under two hours to get to the park.

About Jindai Botanical Park

Though the park is in Chofu City, close to the heart of Tokyo metropolis, the area is still saturated with nature. The park opened to the public in 1961 and marked its 60th anniversary in October 2021. According to their website, its ground area is 489,731.10 m2 and it has 100,000 trees in about 4,800 cultivars, and about 30 gardens divided by plant species such as roses, azaleas, ume trees, and hagi or Japanese bush clovers. In 2016, its greenhouse was refurbished and about 1,300 cultivars are currently planted. Rare tropical plants and a colorful assortment of flowers can be seen there all season. At 500 yen per adult and free admission for children below elementary school age, the entrance fees are pretty reasonable.

Chrysanthemum Show

Soon after I passed through the main gate, I was greeted by an elaborate display of chrysanthemums. I was surprised to see that there are so many ways to arrange them, and I did not know that a chrysanthemum can be potted dwarfed. The exhibit runs every year from the end of October to the end of November since 1961. The flower was originally introduced from China into Japan as a medical herb and for appreciation. You’ll notice chrysanthemum designs on many items including the Japanese Imperial crest and the Japanese passport, making it the second-most recognized flower besides the cherry blossom.

Rose Garden

As expected, the rain was falling during my visit. But the beauty of the roses and their fragrant scent were unaffected by the weather. Many visitors were taking photos of them in full glory. I was not the exception, and I took a lot of photos, believing the saying, “even poor marksman will hit the bull’s-eye if he shoots enough rounds.” Fortunately, I found some of them quite satisfying when I checked them at home.

Those roses were so beautiful that I spent almost one hour in the garden, which I had not planned nor expected to do. The standing signboard says that the rose garden originally started with 80 cultivars of roses sent from San Francisco City in 1959 to promote friendly relations between America and Japan. Today, about 5,200 rootstocks in about 400 cultivars are currently planted and the best times to see them are from the middle of May to the end of July and the beginning of October to the end of November, which means the rose flowers can be enjoyed almost half a year!

Greenhouse

As the rain started to get stronger and I had already enjoyed a lot of time in the rose garden, I moved on to the greenhouse. This impressive structure is divided into six rooms each with their own specialty. One was for tropical flowers and trees; another for orchids; the third for begonias; fourth was for tropical water lilies; the fifth for Ogasawara; and the final room was for dryland.

The first room transported me into a tropical forest. Here I saw banana trees, mango trees and even carnivorous plants. The aristolochia salvadorensis, which is famous because its flower looks like Darth Vader in the Star Wars, was interesting to look at. This particular plant blooms close to the ground, so keep that in mind as it is easy to miss!

Next, I visited the orchid and begonia rooms which face each other. The signboard says that they bring and exhibit orchids in full bloom from their collection. And by the looks of it, both begonias and orchids can be enjoyed here year-round.

In the next room, the pink, white, and purple of the flowers of the water lilies shone against the green round leaves. The Ogasawara room featured plants from the Ogasawara Islands about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo designated as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2011. You can see some rare species and endemic ones. In Dryland Room, the last one in the greenhouse, you can see cactus and other succulents on exhibit. In this room there was a cactus plant that was about three meters high, and another spherical succulent plant that was about one meter wide. Before this, I had only seen cactus like this on TV.

The botanical garden is full of many plants and flowers you might have never seen in person before. And it’s great year-round since every season has a different flower to enjoy. The greenhouse is also a great feature as visitors can escape the weather and elements outside and still check out the variety of plants and flowers on display.

Jindaiji Temple

Across from the garden, Jindaiji Temple is another spot to make sure to stop in. This temple was founded in 733, making it the oldest temple in Tokyo after Asakusa’s famous Sensoji Temple.

Jindaiji has a garden with many trees offering an atmosphere of solemn magnificence. Though it was raining, there were many visitors, and I saw some family groups visiting 7-5-3 festival, marking their children’s growth and longevity.

The temple is famous for warding off evil fortune and matchmaking, but it is most famous for about 20 soba or buckwheat noodle restaurants leading up to the temple gates. The land of the botanical park used to be the territory of the temple, and buckwheat used to be cultivated in the territory and lands nearby. According to one theory, the reason why this area is famous for soba is that farmers could utilize a great deal of springs there to cultivate, make and cook soba.

I didn’t visit during lunch time, so I didn’t get to try soba. Now that I know, I will definitely plan to have soba ahead.

A visit to the botanical park offers visitors the opportunity to get to know the area’s native plants as well as introduce plants and flowers from other climates. This area is one of the best spots to be one with nature near the center of the metropolis. It isn’t so far from most of the bases in the Kanto Region, so why not visit there this weekend?

Jindai Botanical Park

Website

Location: 5-31-10 Motomachi, Jindaiji, Chofu City, Tokyo

From Chofu Station on the Keio Line, take the Odakyu Bus to Kichijoji Station or Mitaka Station at platform 12 and get off at Jindai Botanical Park, or take the Keio Bus to Jindaiji Temple at platform 11 and get off at Jindai Botanical Park. Please check their website for the other ways to get there.

Tel: 042-483-2300

Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed on Mondays)

Jindaiji Temple

Website

Location: 5-15-1 Motomachi, Jindaiji, Chofu City, Tokyo

From Chofu Station on the Keio Line, take the Odakyu Bus to Kichijoji Station or Mitaka Station at platform 12 and get off at Jindaiji Temple Entrance, or take the Keio Bus to Jindaiji Temple at platform 11 and get off at Jindaiji Temple. Please check their website for the other ways to get there.

Tel: 042-486-5511

Opening hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Mar. 21 - Sep. 22)

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Sep. 23 - Mar. 20)

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