Though cherry blossoms are Tokyo’s most famous plant life, the Ikegami Baien Plum Tree Garden’s trees are equally attractive. With more than 370 trees closely packed into the 2-acre (1.0-hectare) garden, the sight of all of them flowering together is almost overwhelming. Fill your eyes and nose with their presence.
It’s easy to see how an artist found inspiration to paint in this one-time private garden and artist’s studio. Resist the urge to sit all day and sketch the elegant form of the blossoms.
Watch for the blooms carpeting the slope of the hill on your approach from the street. Go through the gate and inhale deeply to breathe in the smell of the ume blossoms, which are incredibly fragrant when in bloom. Admire the visual balance between the blooming plum trees against traditional Japanese architecture.
Walk slowly around the garden, looking at the ways in which the trees acquire different properties from different angles. At the top of the hill, look through the branches to Ota Ward stretching out before you. Get a glimpse of iconic Japanese architecture in the simple lines of the traditional tearoom contained within the walls.
Even after the plum blossoms are gone, stop by the garden for sights of cherry blossoms from March to April and more than 800 azaleas around the park a bit later in the year.
Ikegami Baien Plum Tree Garden is part of a fairly large park complex in the center of Ota Ward. Walk here in 10 minutes from the closest train station, which offers connections throughout the borough. Reach the garden by train in about 50 minutes from Haneda International Airport or in 1.5 hours from Chofu Airport. Parking in the area is extremely limited, especially during the peak of the tourist season, so public transportation or taxis are best for getting around.
The garden is open to visitors Tuesday to Sunday from morning to late afternoon, and open on Mondays in February and March, during plum blossom season. There is an entry fee.
