Kaitokukan Garden, University of Tokyo
This season's opening
Kaitokukan Garden open day (UTokyo Homecoming Day)
- Hours
- 10:30–16:00 (last entry 15:30)
- Admission
- The official programme lists no garden fee; the tea service in Kaitokukan is paid
- Booking
- No bookingNo booking for the garden. House tours are for anniversary-year alumni only.
The one day a year the national scenic garden opens to all: the conical hill, waterfall stones, stream, pond and lawn.
17 Oct is also the Koka tea-house day at the Teien Art Museum; if you win a seat there, pair a Hongo morning with a Shirokanedai afternoon. Check the day's programme for the garden entrance.
About the garden
The garden of the Maeda family's Hongo residence, laid out at the end of the Meiji era and designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 2015. It sits closed inside the University of Tokyo campus and opens to anyone for a single autumn day, Homecoming Day.
Where to stand
Start on the lawn at the north side and face south: the conical hill fills the view, and down its north-east slope run the waterfall stones, a stream and the pond in one line. Walk to the water's edge to look up at the stones, then turn round to the wooden Kaitokukan, rebuilt in 1951 after a part of the burned Japanese wing.
Practical notes
Open to the public only on UTokyo Homecoming Day, Saturday 17 October 2026, 10:30–16:00 (last entry 15:30); anyone can walk in, no booking. The house itself is reserved for anniversary alumni. It is a campus event day, so check the day's printed programme for the entrance.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 5 min walk☕ CafeKissa Ruo
A long-running coffee house across Hongo-dori from the university; open until 17:00 on Saturdays, so it works for lunch on Homecoming Day.
Order：The Ceylon-style curry with coffee
- 5 min walk🍡 SweetsOgiya (wagashi)
A family-run sweet shop opposite the Red Gate since 1950. Takeaway only: buy one each for the walk home.
Order：Akamon mochi