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Meguro Sky Garden - a photographer's guide
Meguro Sky Garden is pretty cool. It is a park built above a major road junction. Can you imagine having a picnic there under the sun? Well, if you are in Tokyo, you can. It’s a real place and an incredible piece of engineering. I don’t know any place like it.
The structure is circular, 175 meters in length and another 130 in diameter. With nothing in the middle, the garden resembles a doughnut when viewed from above. Well, if you look down the middle to ground level, you will see a sports field! Its highest point is 35 meters above the ground, and 11 at its lowest.
I like it a lot, as it is something different. From the outside, it reminds me of the Colosseum. But, with the garden/park on top, it is very friendly. It provides the concrete jungle of Tokyo with a little more green space. Meguro Sky Garden is an oasis that gives you a break from the busy city.
The garden is lovely, with something for every season. It has many paths to explore, and the sunsets from the top can be delightful! The place is rarely crowded. And the noise from the busy roads that pass by is minimal. It is perfect for a picnic. But remember to take your rubbish when you leave, as there are no bins.
If you are hoping to get some cityscape photographs from Sky Garden, it’s not ideal. The fence is tree-lined and gets in the way of any good scenic shots. Yes, you can get a few pictures through the wire, but that’ll be hard for most cameras.
You can supposedly see Mt. Fuji on a nice day, but I still haven’t seen it, yet. The architecture is nice to shoot, as are the different flowers when they are in bloom.
What can you photograph there?
To be honest, not a lot. It has a garden, but it isn’t comparable to Shinjuku Gyoen. And apparently, on a nice day, you can see Mount Fuji. There are also a couple of apartment buildings connected to it that add interest.
For me, the main reason to go to Sky Garden is the sheer unusualness of the place. It is something different and unique. Some people might call it quirky.
Where is Meguro Sky Garden?
The garden is close to Ikejiri Ohashi station, on the Tokyu Den-En-Toshi line. That is one stop from Shibuya, which makes it very convenient. Leave via the south exit. The garden is a short away. Click here to see it on Google Maps.
Admission Costs
None
Opening hours
- From April to October, Meguro Sky Garden is open from 7 am to 7 pm.
- From November to March, it is open from 7 am to 5 pm.
Other photo spots near Meguro Skyy Garden
Wrapping up
There are four types of people who go to Meguro Sky Garden:
- Those who live in one of the adjoining apartment buildings.
- Those who are looking for something unusual to see in Tokyo.
- Avid picnickers who want to have a picnic in an interesting place.
- Lovers of architecture/engineering.
If you are one of those four, you’ll probably enjoy it. And if you aren’t, you might be better off looking elsewhere for fun. The good thing is that Shibuya Station is near.
