For years, Horikiri Shobuen was just a name on my photography bucket list. When I finally walked in and saw the sea of purple and white irises, I knew the wait was worth it. In this post, I’ll share that experience as a first-timer. I’ll also show lenses I used with my Fujifilm X-T3, and some tips to help you get your own stunning shots of these elegant flowers.
I’ve loved Japanese irises ever since I first saw them at Koishikawa Korakuen. But the display at Horikiri Shobuen is on another level—by far the most impressive I’ve seen in Tokyo.
My visit was on a warm (24°c) and bright, overcast day. This is a double-edged sword for photography. The soft light is flattering for flowers, but the bright sky makes exposure difficult. The grounds were also crowded, especially in the morning.
Given the challenging light, I relied on handheld bracketing. This technique allowed me to capture multiple exposures of each scene, ensuring I could balance the bright sky with the dark, light-absorbing petals of the irises in my final images. Since everyone was moving slowly, doing it was easy and much more flexible than using a tripod.
You wouldn’t expect a tranquil flower garden to be right next to an expressway, but it is! Thankfully, the traffic noise is well-dampened, and it never became a distraction from the photography. It’s not an attractive structure, so I didn’t point my camera in its direction.
Seikantei is the name of the restaurant and cafe on the grounds. The first floor has drinks and simple Japanese dishes. Upstairs specializes in course meals. Japanese-style rooms are also available (at a fee).
Here is the garden on Google Maps:
June! That is when the Japanese irises bloom.
My camera was the Fujifilm X-T3, and I took two lenses. One was the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS to capture the huge iris beds. The other was the XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR for close-ups and when I wanted nice bokeh.
They are allowed, but not on bridges and in designated areas.
The park is not close to anything I have visited. But, places you could go to by train from there are:
Horikiri Shobuen impressed me on my first visit. It’s not big, but it is beautiful. And its Japanese irises are superb. The only places that come close are Meiji Shrine and Mizumoto Park. They have high-quality gardens filled with them, too.
If you are a flower lover, you should put this place on your bucket list. And best of all, it is free! Have you been to Horikiri Shobuen? Share your experience in the comments section.
Rohan has photographed Tokyo since 2011. He shoots it with his Canon EOS R5. The project will take more than one lifetime to complete.
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