Hotel Chinzanso Garden and Fireflies [Tokyo]

【Hotel Chinzanso summary】

Hotel Chinzanso is a five-star hotel with a long history in Tokyo. In 1878, Aritomo Yamagata, a soldier and politician, purchased Tsubakiyama, a scenic spot where camellias grow wild, with his private fortune, built a garden and a residence, and named it “Chinzanso. Most of the house was destroyed by fire during an air raid in 1945. In 1948, the property came under the ownership of Fujita Kogyo, and was restored in 1952.

Chinzanso vast garden is beautiful and offers beautiful scenery in each of the four seasons. Every year from June to early July, there is a firefly-viewing event called “Firefly Evening,” where you can view fireflies in captivity while staying in Tokyo. (Only hotel guests are allowed to view fireflies.)

【Hotel Chinzanso Garden】

Chinzanso has a 700-year history, and this garden was called Tsubakiyama (Camellia Mountain) in the Edo period (1603-1867) and was a famous scenic spot in Edo. The garden is a wonderful, undulating, circular garden, and beautiful compositions can be seen from all directions.

In the garden, there is a 500-year-old shii tree, which is the sacred tree of Chinzan-so.

【Hotel Chinzanso in the garden Shiratama Inari Shrine】

Further up the mountain from the sacred tree is the Inari Shrine. In 1924, the shrine was transferred from the Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto and moved to a new location. The following year, Shiratama Inari was invited from Fushimi Inari Myojin to become the guardian deity of Chinzan-so.

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine [Kyoto]

【Hotel Chinzanso in the garden Three-storied Pagoda “Entsugaku”】

The three-story pagoda is the symbol of Chinzanso Garden. Although located in the hotel garden, it is designated as an important cultural property. It was moved to Mejiro-no-mori in 1925 from Takamura-san Chikurin-ji Temple in Kamo County, Hiroshima Prefecture. Research using dendrochronological dating methods has revealed that materials dating from around 1420 (the early Muromachi period) were used in the building. The main deity of the temple is enshrined as “Shōsō Kannon Bosatsu” (Saint Avalokitesvara).

【Hotel Chinzanso「Hotaru no Yuubi (Firefly Evening)」70th anniversary】

The “Firefly Evening” is held every year at Hotel Chinzan-so, and will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2024. Under the guidance of a firefly specialist, Chinzan-so has set up facilities for breeding larvae in the garden and has maintained an environment conducive to the growth of fireflies.

There are four places in the garden where fireflies can be viewed, and this year the area around the waterwheel had the most fireflies.

【Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo Sea of Clouds】

A sea of clouds can always be seen in the morning, afternoon, and night. Although it is an artificial sea of clouds, it covers about three-quarters of the entire garden and is well worth a visit.

Gokyo Falls at Chinzan-so. The evenly spaced protrusions seen at the bottom of the photo are artificial cloud sea generators. My daughter took this photo at random. I guess it is the performance of the camera…

【Hotel Chinzanso Nearby attractions】

Higo Hosokawa Garden, Gokokuji Temple, Ana Hachimangu Shrine

Ana Hachimangu Shrine [Tokyo]

【Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo Access】