JAPAN TRAVEL



 

Shinjuku Gyoen is a well-known park in Tokyo with many articles having been written about it. No matter the season, the park is a popular visit at any time of the year. During my recent visit, the Shinjuku Gyoen Greenhouse impressed me so much that I thought it deserved its own separate article. The collection of tropical plants here at the greenhouse is really quite amazing! I visited at the end of July and there were quite a good many flowers such as the Heliconia, Pineapple ginger, the bright red Anthurium Flamingo, and the tender pink Aechmea of which I am familiar with. Of course, there were many other blooming plants that I simply did not know anything about as it was the first time in my life for me to see them. I was impressed. The greenhouse is quite spacious and, as to be expected, made of glass. Tropical plants are not easy to grow and require a lot of light and water along with high humidity and high temperatures that mustn't fall below 20C at night and about 25-28C in the daytime. Such conditions require a well thought greenhouse construction and special materials.

During the colder seasons there must be heating system and ventilation arranged in such a way that the plants within are not damaged. The soild, too, needs constant work and when you consider the effort involved and the conditions necessary, one can appreciate all the more just impressive the greenhouse is. One technique used to maintain the correct levels of humidity is the waterfall that falls from the upper gallery to the pool on the ground floor. Seeing it gives off a feeling of walking in the tropics amongst the huge leaves of the plants. The pool is covered with water lilies, creating a beautiful view. It really was nice and as I was admiring it, I noticed in one corner of the greenhouse a collection of cacti and the carnivorous Nepenthes attenboroughii. Shinjuku Gyoen Greenhouse is a great place, especially if you like plants. I spent over an hour there, immersing myself in the feeling of being in the tropics amongst exotic plants, right in the middle of Tokyo.

Getting there

Shinjuku Gyoen has three gate entrances. To get to the greenhouse, enter via the Okido Gate, a 5-minute walk from Shinjuku Gyoenmae Station on the Marunouchi Line.
 
By Elena Lisina