Ask a hundred tourists in Yokohama where to go and you'll hear Chinatown, the Cup Noodles Museum, maybe Minato Mirai's waterfront skyline. Ask a local, and the answer is often the same: Sankeien Garden. This 175,000-square-meter traditional Japanese garden, tucked into the Honmoku district along the southern coast, is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the Kanto region — and during Golden Week 2026, it opens doors that stay closed for the rest of the year.
A Silk Merchant's Gift to the City
Sankeien was created by Hara Sankei (1868–1939), a wealthy silk trader who spent decades collecting historic buildings from across Japan and reassembling them in his private garden overlooking Tokyo Bay. The result is unlike anything else: a 17th-century pagoda from Kyoto's Tomyoji Temple rises above a central pond, a Tokugawa-era farmhouse from Gifu sits beside a Kamakura-period temple hall, and Rinshunkaku — a stunning villa built in 1649 for the Kishu Tokugawa clan — watches over it all from a gentle hillside. In 1906, Hara opened the outer garden to the public, and today the entire estate is a designated National Place of Scenic Beauty.
The Rinshunkaku Special Opening
Rinshunkaku is normally visible only from the outside, but during Golden Week, Sankeien opens its interior for a special public viewing. This is one of the most significant events on Sankeien's calendar — the villa is designated an Important Cultural Property, and its interiors feature exquisite Kano school paintings, delicate shoji screens, and architectural details that reveal how Japan's ruling warrior class lived during the early Edo period.
The Rinshunkaku opening typically runs from April 29 through early May. Visitors enter in timed groups to protect the fragile interiors. Come early — the most popular time slots fill up quickly, and the morning light through the shoji screens is genuinely spectacular.
Tea Ceremony by the Pond
On May 1, Sankeien hosts a one-day tea ceremony in one of its historic tea houses. Even if you've never experienced matcha tea ceremony before, this is an ideal introduction — the setting (a centuries-old tea house overlooking a lotus pond) does half the work of transporting you into another era. No reservation is typically required; arrive, pay a small fee (usually 500-800 yen including matcha and wagashi sweet), and join a small group session.
Exploring the Garden
Sankeien divides into an Outer Garden (public since 1906) and an Inner Garden (opened later). Both are stunning, but they have different characters.
The Outer Garden centers on the great pond and the three-story pagoda that has become Sankeien's icon. The walking path circles the pond through groves of cherry, plum, and wisteria, passing a thatched-roof farmhouse (Yanohara House, originally from the Shirakawa-go region), the Old Tomyoji Pagoda, and several smaller tea houses.
The Inner Garden is more intimate — stone paths wind through dense vegetation past Rinshunkaku, Kakushokaku (Hara's personal residence, an impressive Western-Japanese fusion building), and Gekkaden, a moon-viewing pavilion with views across the garden to the bay.
In late April through May, the garden transitions from late cherry blossoms to fresh green maple leaves, wisteria, and azaleas. The effect is layered — every turn reveals a new composition of water, stone, foliage, and centuries-old architecture.
Practical Information
- Getting there: From Yokohama Station, take bus #8 or #148 from the east exit to Sankeien-Iriguchi (about 35 minutes). From Negishi Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line), bus #58 or #101 (about 10 minutes).
- Hours: 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). Open daily during Golden Week.
- Admission: 700 yen adults, 200 yen children. Inner Garden is included.
- Time needed: Allow at least 90 minutes for both gardens, plus extra for Rinshunkaku and tea ceremony.
Combining with Yokohama
Sankeien is about 30 minutes from central Yokohama. Suggested route:
- Morning: Sankeien Garden (arrive at opening for Rinshunkaku viewing)
- Lunch: Head to Motomachi for European-style cafes, or Chinatown for dim sum
- Afternoon: Walk through Yamashita Park, visit the NYK Hikawamaru, explore Red Brick Warehouse
- Evening: Dinner at Minato Mirai with harbor views, or catch the Yokohama Fruhlingsfest at Red Brick Warehouse
Sankeien is one of those rare places where Japan's past feels not preserved, but alive. During Golden Week, when Rinshunkaku opens its doors and tea is served beside the pond, the vision of a silk merchant from a century ago feels as generous and beautiful as ever.
Image: Sankeien Garden, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
