Â鶹APP

Hibiya Park in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by, 663highland-

Top 10 most interesting facts about the Hibiya Park

In1603—1868 that is during the Edo period the parking area was a fishing village near the ocean.  Later on, the land was taken by the Feudal lord’s family.  The land was taken back into control by the imperial government after his era ended. 

The land was later used by the imperial military as the drill ground and was known as Hibiya Drill Grounds.  Later in the reign of Meiji, the building around the drill ground began to be constructed. 

furthermore the drill ground was not suitable for military use since they had a new ground.   Thereafter it was decided that a park was to be built in the former Hibiya Drill ground. 

The park was then completed in 1903, thus making it the first western-themed park under the architect Honda  Seiroku.

1. Hibiya park is a fountain/second flower garden

Hibiya has the largest fountain , a flower garden in the center of the park, due to this the park became the main recreational spot on the premises. After every 28 minutes, the fountain operates with  24 varieties of fountaining patterns..

 Between 8a.m and 9 p.m. the patterns changes. The fountain is extra beautiful at night because of the light illumination. The fountain is inspired by Tokyo’s official bird the sea

 2. Hibiya park first flower garden/pelican fountain

The Pelican Fountain. Photo by, TPFUUT-

It was the first western-style garden that existed from the day the park opened in the year 1903.  There is also a pelican fountain within the garden which is another symbol of the park and is often shown in Japanese drama.

 3. Hibiya Mitsuke/Shinji Pond

Hibiya Park Lake and Wisteria Grove. Photo by, 663highland-

These are the remains of the front gate of the Edo castle or Hibiya approach.  This approach was made out of stone and moat which were used  to protect the Edo castle. The moat part is preserved and it is named Shinji Pond.

Shinji is composed of 2 ideograms which are the heart and the form. It is known to be a public garden. Shinji is an example of lake which follows this ideogram shape.

 4.The  seagull square at the park

This was built in 1984 and was originally a part of the Tokyo District Court. Houses tress from every prefecture which is in Japan. The seagull is the official bird of Tokyo.

 5. Hibiya park sakura trees(cherry trees) 

The park is home to dozens of sakura trees which spreads in clumps around the park. This makes it an amazing spot for a spring walk or for a small Japanese party called hanami. Sakura tree are also known as Japanese cherry or cherry blossom.

  6. Hibiya park odd statues

The Hibiya park is full of collective statues which were donated the by foreign governments which explains why there is no overall theme for them.  An example of the statue is the Lupa Romana which was a gift from Italy in the year 1938 during WW2 eve. The statue tells the mythical story of Roman brothers who were raised by wolves.

 7. The Autumn Leaves viewing at the park

autumn. Photo by, Kakidai-

The park has around 3100 trees which makes it a popular spot for viewing autumn leaves. 51 types of trees were donated by every prefecture of Japan. After Japan gifted the united state with the cherry tree they returned the gratitude by gifting Japan with a dogwood tree which is now the line of the Potomac River.

 8.The Risky Ginkgo tree

This is a large tree estimated to be 500 years old. The tree is said to be relocated after Hibiya street was expanded in 1901. The designer of the park risked his job to save the tree, this amused many and it was publicized in a local newspaper giving it the nickname Risky ginkgo.

  9. Concerts are mainly held in this park

Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. Photo by, Nesnad-

The park is said to have two stages with permanent seating. The stages can only be reserved for events with the approval of the local city hall of Chiyoda-ku. When the weather is good both big and small events take the advantage of the stage.

10.  The Hibiya Shisei Kaikan

Shisei Kaikan, former home of Japan’s newswires. Photo by, Lombroso-

This is a Gothic-style building that was built in 1929 on the edge of the park. This building was used to host Japan’s State  News Agency during world war 2. Currently, the building looks outdated even though it is one of the few historical western-style buildings of this kind in Japan.

Hibiya being the oldest park in Japan makes it retains the flavor of the early  20^th century throughout the ground. The park is filled with many oddities and this makes it an interesting place to visit and explore. The  park is famous for the Shisei Kaikan a brick building which once hosted  Domei Tsushine.