Enjoy Shizuoka Green Tea and Seasonal Scenery at Momijiyama Garden【Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture】

A 15 minute walk from the North Exit of Shizuoka Station, Sunpu Castle Park with its majestic stone wall and moat, rises out of the bustling modern cityscape. For first-time visitors, it may seem as if time has slipped back to the Edo period. On a large site of about 18 hectares, the ruins of Sunpu Castle, where Tokugawa Ieyasu once lived as a grand shogun, now serves as a park popular among the public. We would like to introduce Momijiyama Garden Ryureiseki, located in Sunpu Castle Ruins Park, where visitors can enjoy authentic Shizuoka tea while taking in the atmosphere of the popular castle garden.

In this article, we introduce the Momijiyama Garden’s fantastic tea menu served at ryurei tea ceremony tables surrounded by the garden and its beautiful seasonal scenes.

About the Momijiyama Garden

Momijiyama Garden is one of the highlights of Sunpu Castle Park, located in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City. The park is surrounded by a stone wall and moat. Enter from the East Gate and walk for about 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the garden. Pay the admission fee at the reception desk and proceed to the garden area.

Take in the atmosphere of this historic site, where Ieyasu Tokugawa once resided as the Shogun of Japan. The Momijiyama Garden is divided into four sections: the Sato-niwa (village garden), the Umi-niwa (ocean garden), the Yamazato-no-niwa (mountain village garden), and the Yama-no-niwa (mountain garden), where visitors can enjoy beautiful Japanese garden design utilizing the natural beauty of the four seasons.

In the garden, there is a tea ceremony room where visitors can enjoy locally produced green tea along with sweet refreshments. (Please note that the photos below are a sample of some of the naturally occuring changes in the garden from season to season.)

Sato-no-niwa

Pass through the entrance gate and proceed on foot along a stone paved path.

▲Enjoy the beautiful autumn colours.

Follow the sign to the left at the fork. The first thing that greets you is the Sato-no-niwa. The tasteful azumaya pagoda blends in with the beautiful garden in subtle style.

The view seen from the bench inside is soothing and relaxing. It is the perfect place to relax one’s tired body. Whilst taking a rest, check the menu for the tea ceremony room’s ryurei seating area.

Stand next to the azumaya pagoda and look back to see the modern line of the 21 storey Shizuoka Prefectural Government Office building standing tall against the skyline.

▲The sprawling view of Sunpu Castle Park from the top floors of the Shizuoka Prefectural Government Office

Umi-no-niwa

As you proceed from the pagoda, the next place on your journey is the Umi-no-niwa. Here, a beautiful replica of Miho-no-Matsubara beach unfolds.

Carp swimming gracefully and ducks drifting lazily on the pond provide a sense of serenity, transporting viewers to a place of peace and tranquility. They swim relatively slowly, making this a great place to get some fantastic photographs. Even camera novices will be able to take dynamic shots!

Yamazato-no-Niwa

In the next area, Yamazato-no-Niwa, you will see a large tsukiyama on your right, which recreates the scene of a mountainside of tea plantations with Mt. Fuji in the background. This traditional Japanese garden feature, with its appearance changing with the changing seasons, is perhaps the most striking feature of the Momijiyama Garden.

▲Above, the view in spring and below, the view in winter▼

Standing halfway up the steps on the tsukiyama, the harmonious composition of stream, ponds, beaches, and pine trees mimicking the course of the Abe River provide a breathtaking contrast with the towering skyscrapers in the background. A magical sight. This beautiful and mysterious scene has an enchanting atmosphere that satisfies the soul.

Chashitsu Ryurei Seating

On the way from Umi-no-niwa to Yamazato-no-niwa, there is a small tearoom with ryurei-style seating. Visitors may enter the tearoom in their shoes and can casually enjoy a cup of tea and sweets here. If one would like to experience a traditional tea ceremony, they can do so upon paying a separate fee.

Nihondaira Sencha, Japanese style sweets

Sencha green tea is grown in Nihondaira, a scenic area with views of Suruga Bay and Mt. Fuji. The refreshing aroma of tea grown in mountainous tea plantations goes very well with traditional Japanese sweets. (Click here to read an article about Nihondaira)

Honyama Matcha

Ieyasu Tokugawa is said to have loved Honyama matcha. This matcha, served at the ryurei style tearoom, is made from tea leaves grown in Uchimaki and Nishigaya along the Abe River and in Sanjo along the Warashina River. It has a perfect balance of richness, bitterness, and sweetness.

Asahina Gyokuro

The Asahina region of Shizuoka Prefecture is as famous for its gyokuro tea as Uji in Kyoto and Yame in Fukuoka. The strong flavor and mellow aroma of this high quality tea will surely entice you into the flavourful world of green tea. (Click here to read about Asahina Gyokuro)

After enjoying the presented matcha set, you will be served with a cup of aromatic hojicha. Teas listed on the presented tea menu are sold in the tearoom, therefore, if you find a tea you like, you can purchase it on the spot.

Depending on the time of day, you can also visit the tea ceremony houses (chashitsu) Unkai and Seigetsu-an.

When you open the door to the Unkai tearoom and step inside, you are greeted by the humble beauty of a Sukiya architectural style building and the subtle scent of Japanese cedar wood. The open hall, the entrance flooded with natural light, and the well-kept garden is the perfect place to familiarize oneself with traditional Japanese culture. The multi-purpose facility is used as a place to pass on traditional culture such as the tea ceremony, haiku, and ikebana flower arrangement.

Proceeding to the back of the building, you will reach the Seigetsu-an, a room of about 8.5m² inlaid with tatami mat flooring

▲It is reminiscent of the “Hyouan” tea room at Gyokuro no Sato, however this room is larger.

Yama-no-niwa

The way back from the inner reaches of the Momijiyama Garden is through the Yama-no-niwa. Here, in contrast to the spacious scenery of the previous section, you will follow a narrow path lined with trees as the bubbling sound of a clear stream echoes in the background.

At the innermost part of the Momijiyama Garden, a beautiful waterfall unfolds before you. The sunlight filtering through the trees reflects off the droplets of water glowing radiantly. The rustling of leaves from the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, and the refreshing sound of the waterfall resonates rhythmically.

With the waterfall at your back, you will enter a route that passes behind the tsukiyama feature. Here the path turns into stairs made from boulders and leads to the other side of the Umi-no-niwa. Along the way, a historical Tokaido road signpost leads you back over wooden bridges through the iris fields. Depending on the angle of view, one may be able to recall scenes of people coming and going as they did in those days.

This is where the journey through the Yama-no-niwa ends. In the distance you can see the azumaya pagoda that stands in the Sato-no-niwa. Now we are back at the entrance to the Momijiyama Garden.

That is all about Momijiyama Garden and its ryurei style Teahouse. Full of the pleasures and extravagance that one might expect from a castle garden, the Momijiyama Garden presents different colours each season delighting visitors throughout the year. While strolling through the four gardens interwoven with miniature representations of Suruga’s famous scenic spots, be sure to stop by the teahouse. The authentic Shizuoka tea you taste here will surely be the start of a blossoming new relationship with the world of Japanese tea and culture.

Information of Momijiyama Garden