Koishikawa Botanical Gardens

Koishikawa Botanical Gardens which now belongs to University of Tokyo started its history as the Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden which was established in 1684 by the Tokugawa Shogunate.  This is also the birthplace of modern scientific research in botany in Japan after the Meiji Restoration.

Ginkgo

The fertilization of eggs by spermatozoids in seed plants was first discovered by Sakugoro Hirase, who used ovules from a female tree of Ginkgo biloba, a primitive gymnosperm, plant in the Botanical Gardens. This was an epoch-making achievement during the early days of modern botanical research in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

Newton’s Apple Tree

Sir Isaac Newton was said to have discovered the law of gravity by the apple’s falling from the tree.  The original Newton’s apple tree was engrafted and was sent to several institutes in other countries.  One of them was sent to Japan in 1964 and was planted in Koishikawa Botanical Garden.

 

 

The main building of the former Tokyo Igakko (Tokyo Medical College)

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Opening Hours:

AM 9:00 – PM 4:30 everyday except for Mondays and Dec. 29 – Jan. 3rd.

Admission Fees:

Adults over 16 yrs: 400 yen
Childeren over 6 yrs: 130 yen

Access:

Address: 3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

10 minutes walk from Hakusan station of Mita subway line.
15 minutes walk from Myogadani station of Marunouchi subway line.