The Meiji Jingu Gyoen, or Inner Garden, is the only part of Meiji Jingu to predate the shrine. It is a peaceful and beautiful garden with a wide variety of flowers. It has a teahouse, a pond, and a picturesque thatched square gazebo. Kiyomasa's Well, which is a popular attraction, is at the far end of the garden.
The garden belonged to the feudal lords of the Kumamoto domain in Kyushu in the Edo period (1603–1867). It became the Yoyogi Gyoen Imperial Garden in the Meiji period (1868–1912) after the feudal system was abolished. The iris garden within Meiji Jingu Gyoen, with its large selection of Japanese irises, was a favorite place of Empress Shoken (1849–1914), which is why it was decided to build Meiji Jingu here to enshrine the Emperor and Empress.
The wide variety of plant and animal life means that there is something to see in the garden throughout the year. The garden is most famous for its irises which are in full bloom in June, but there are golden Japanese roses which flower from mid-March, azaleas in April, lotus flowers from June to September, and the autumn foliage which is beautiful in late November. There is also a variety of birdlife year round.
The garden is open daily.
Hours:
Mar–Oct 9 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
June 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Sat & Sun until 6 p.m.)
Nov–Feb 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Donation for maintenance: ¥500