The Real-Life Locations of Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen

Visiting the Real-Life Locations of Garden of Words. The Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen is one of Tokyo’s largest and most popular parks. The anime “The Garden of Words” directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai was inspired by the place and is the main subject of this article. 

The movie focuses on Takao, who dreams of becoming a shoemaker and skips school and sketching shoes in the garden of words in Shinjuku Gyoen. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him.

Then, unconsciously, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. While Takao is skipping his classes to design shoes, Yukino is also avoiding work due to deep personal problems. When Takao learns Yukino’s identity, the two grow closer and both learn that they have been teaching each other to cope with their respective lives. 

Following the summer break, Takao returns to school and spots Yukino. His friends inform him that she is a literature teacher and that she has been the target of gossip and bullying. Out of kindness and to avoid further confrontation, Yukino opted to avoid work and retreat to the park, hoping she would learn to overcome her fears. How will their relationship pass through this as the rainy season stops?

Yukari Yukino;

Takao Akizuki;

The park seen in the anime movie is based on real-life Garden of Words park in Shinjuku Gyoen and even though there were changes in the landscapes and infrastructures inside the park, we can still recognize most of the spots.

So let’s start by the park’s entrance. The garden has three access gates: Shinjuku Gate, Okido Gate, and Sendagaya Gate.

The Shinjuku Gate

Shinjuku Gate in the Garden of Words

This is one of the entrances to the park, Shinjuku Gate. The entrance gates themselves have been replaced with newer ones as seen below:

Takao at the Shinjuku gate at the Garden of Words

The entrance gate in real life

There is another entrance leading to the Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen which is named the Sendagaya Gate. 

The Sendagaya Gate

One of the Real-Life Locations of Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen is the Sendagaya Gate

Sendagaya Gate in real life

Sendagaya Gate seen in the anime

If you head out of Sendagaya Gate towards Sendagaya Station you’ll see this pedestrian underpass where Chūō-Sobu Line trains run.

The pedestrian underpass towards Sendagaya Station

Anime vs. Real Life: Five Centimeters per Second

The main place from the anime is the spot where Takao and Yukino meet for their dates. There is a slight difference in the images as the spot got an ashtray in real life but other than that it matches perfectly.

The pavillion in the Japanese garden; 

Takao going to meet Yukino at the pavillon

The pavillon has an ashtray in its middle

The ashtray is present in real life but not seen in the anime’s pavillon

Yukino sitting in the pavillon

The exact spot in real life

Near the pavillon, there is a pond where our lovely characters can be seen in the anime. If you go near the pond, you may be lucky to see koi fish there.

Takao and Yukino were seen near the pond

The Pond in the Garden of Words

The pond

There is a big pavilion in the park called Taiwan Pavilion. It is a site that attracts a lot of tourists and many pictures are taken from this spot in the Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen.

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The Taiwan Pavilion

Taiwan Pavillion is one of the great Real-Life Locations of Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen with a gorgeous view.

External view of the Taiwan Pavilion

The Taiwan Pavilion in the anime

From the Taiwan Pavilion, you can have a magnificent view of the garden.

View of the garden from the Taiwan pavilion 

The view from the pavilion  is almost similar to the anime

Inside the park, there is a green area where you can have great moments with your family or friends. From there, you have a great view of the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building which appears in other Makoto Shinkai anime like Your Name or Weathering With You, one of the best romantic anime to ever exist.  

The green area with the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building in the background

Matches perfectly with the real-life green area

The NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building in the anime

NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building

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Hours and Fees

Shinjuku Gyoen Garden is one of Tokyo’s largest, most beloved public parks. For an admission fee of just 500 yen, you’ll have access to one of the best spots in the city for cherry blossom viewing parties. 

Hours

• 9:00 to 18:00 (March 15 to June 30 and August 21 to September 30)
• 9:00 to 19:00 (July 1 to August 20)
• 9:00 to 16:30 (October 1 to March 14)

Admission ends 30 minutes before closing

Closed

Shinjuku Gyoen Garden is often closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), from December 29 to January 3. There are no closing days during the cherry blossom season (March 25 to April 24) and the Chrysanthemum Exhibition (November 1-15).

Where is the Garden of Word Located?

The garden is a short walk from Shinjuku-gemmae Station on the Marunouchi Line or Sendagaya Station on the Chūō-Sōbu Line. The garden is on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line near Shinjuku-sanchōme Station. From that station (exit C1) the garden is a four-minute walk.

Address: 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014, Japan

What to know about the garden

The garden during the Spring season

The Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen is 58.3 hectares in area. There are more than 20,000 trees in the gardens, including some 1500 cherry trees. It was originally intended for royalty and was completed in 1906. By 1949, the gardens became open to the public as “National Park Shinjuku Imperial Gardens”.

It came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment in January 2001, with the official English name “Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden”. The official Japanese name remains Shinjuku Gyoen, where gyoen means “imperial garden”.

A Good Place for Cherry Blossoms

The garden is one of the best spots for cherry blossoms, and compared to other locations, the viewing season is much longer. With approximately 1,100 cherry blossom trees of over 65 types planted in the park, the park sustains a long season of full bloom from late January to late April.

Famous events regarding cherry blossoms are held in the Garden of Words in Shinjuku Gyoen. The hanami (Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing) for example is held every day from the 25th of March to the 24th of April. Another famous event is the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.

Held at Shinjuku Gyoen annually by the Prime Minister of Japan, this event is on invitation only and extremely exclusive. Celebrities such as athletes, comedians actors and actresses are invited to this event. 

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Real-life image credits: Mikehattsu Blogspot and Makotoshinkai fandom

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