Shinjuku Gyoen (Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Japan)

You can spend the entire day in Shinjuku roaming the alleyways, or you can spend some time relaxing in the Gyoen National Garden surrounded by nature in this gigantic park a short walk from the Kabukicho district.

This garden is massive, covering over 145 acres (about 54 football fields), with plenty of open space to sit down and relax away from heavy crowds. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the train station and quite easy to find once you place it on navigation. When Shoji and I arrived, we paid our admission fee of 500 yen each and proceeded to walk right in.

Just to throw it out there, there’s a Starbucks in the East Area, in case you’d like a caffeine buzz with your dose of nature. We skipped the coffee because it was too hot and just went on a nice stroll.

The park was a great escape from Shinjuku’s main strip. I enjoyed walking aimlessly as I took in the beautiful scenery. The park is large with multiple walking paths, so it’s easy to get lost, which to me isn’t a bad thing. But if you have reservations for an event or restaurant after visiting, make sure you know beforehand what exit you need to use.

There is a lot to see at this park and if you are on a time crunch like we were, you won’t be able to see it all. But that’s okay because we were able to relax and unwind a bit, get a view of the Taiwan Pavillion from a distance and cross the beautiful bridges in the upper pond on the park’s east side.

There is plenty more to see, including the Old Imperial Rest House, Shinjuku Gyoen Museum, Formal Garden and the cherry blossom trees section. I recommend taking half a day to just lounge around and visit all the sections. It can make you forget about the hustle and bustle of work and big city life, even if just for a little bit.

I will admit coming by foot may not have been the best idea, but I have no regrets about visiting this park. I never really thought about what Tokyo had to offer since it only feels like skyscrapers and narrow roads. It’s also great to see the pride Japan takes in maintaining their gardens and parks.

I plan on visiting this park again, but will take the train to the nearest entrance instead of walking. And I’ll also stay a lot longer.

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