The Meiji Shrine Inner Garden (明治神宮内苑
Meiji Jingū Naien) lies adjacent to Meiji Jingū shrine and is an 8.3-hectare gem of a Japanese garden in the middle of the buzzing city. In the Edo Period (1603-1867), it served as the residence of the Katō clan, the
daimyō of Kumamoto, and later the Ii family from Hikone.
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After the
Meiji Restoration, the garden was renamed Yoyogi Gyoen and turned over to the Imperial Household Agency. The garden is famous for its iris fields and azalea and has been designed in part by
Emperor Meiji who composed a
waka poem extolling its beauty and tranquillity:
「うつせみの 代々木の里は しづかにて 都のほかの ここちこそすれ」
Utsusemino Yoyogi no sato wa shizukanite miyako no hokano kokochi koso sure.
Deep in the woodland of Yoyogi, the quietude creates an...