Set in the concrete jungle of Tokyo lays a quaint Western styled mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens. The landmark was built and designed around the Taisho era and houses around 180 rose plants of 90 different kinds. Since it was mid-May, it was the perfect time to head down to Kyu Furukawa because of the Spring Rose Festival in Tokyo.
The gardens are also known for the beauty of their rose flowers and are filled with the elegant fragrance of roses in various colors during the season in late spring.” You’ll find that each breed is named after famous figures from all over the world from “Princess Aiko” to “Maria Callas” to name a few.
The blooms were at their peak by the time we were there, so we were thrilled when we were able to see each and every breed at their height. To get to the place is not hard, it was a solid 15-minute walk from the JR Station Komagome. If you’re planning to head there anytime soon, I highly suggest you head there early around 10AM so that you can enjoy the rose garden fully.
Also, if you walk down further into the gardens, you’ll find the Japanese styled garden where everything is perfectly manicured. There is also a teahouse within the Japanese garden compound however; we weren’t able to go to it because it was closed at the time.
When you head back up to the rose garden, and then to the mansion, you’ll find some local sellers selling knick-knacks ranging from fresh flowers to English-themed items. Inside the mansion, you can either opt for a tour of the place (but I think you might need to pre-book it, so it’s best to double check on that), or you could do what we did, which was go to its “café”. In order to access it, you must pre-order your drinks at the counter and pay for it up front. The prices for the tea drinks were pretty steep, but we just went with it because it’s not we’ll be doing it again anytime soon.
Whilst in the mansion, you cannot take photos of the interior. They sat us down near the bay window that overlooked the gardens, and enjoyed our surroundings as well as the live piano music that was being played in the hallway near the stairs. The mansion, although quite bare, held true to its form featuring key interior features like French doors, classic dark chestnut wooden panels throughout the walls coupled with exquisite crown moldings all over the ceiling.
Before heading back, we bought a few postcards to commemorate the visit, and even stamped our tickets with Kyu Furukawa’s own custom stamp. I would totally recommend going there if you find yourself in Japan sometime in May. Even though you’ve technically missed out on the Cherry Blossoms, at least the Spring Rose Festival makes up for it!
How to get there:
JR Keihin-tohoku Line, Kami-Nakasato Station (7 minutes on foot)
Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, Nishigahara Sta. (7 minutes on foot)
JR Yamanote Line, Komagome Sta. (15 minutes on foot)
Website: http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/kyu-furukawa/index.html
