Parks and Green Space around Shiodome

The principal green space around Shiodome is Hamarikyu Gardens immediately east of the station. The garden originated in 1654 as the estate of Matsudaira Tsunashige, later became a shogunal residence and subsequently an imperial detached palace. It was transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government after World War II and opened to the public in 1946. In 1952 it received national designation as both a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site. Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association information lists normal opening hours as 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with final admission at 4:30 p.m. and closures around the New Year period. The ability to move quickly from Shiodome's dense high-rise environment into a substantial historic garden is one of the area's strongest environmental features. Hamarikyu is, however, a historic landscape garden rather than a conventional neighborhood playground. Within Shiodome Sio-Site itself, plazas, publicly accessible open spaces and pedestrian routes also provide places to walk and pause among the towers.