Hakusan Park (Niigata)
白山公園
One of Japan's first parks (1873), in central Niigata. Its garden of ponds and artificial hills is a national Place of Scenic Beauty, with lotuses in summer.
One of Japan's very first parks
Hakusan Park is in the centre of Chuo Ward, Niigata City. It stands on land that was once part of the grounds of Hakusan Shrine next door, the sochinju (the shrine that protects the whole area) of Niigata. In 1872, Kusumoto Masataka, the kenrei (head of the prefecture, a post equivalent to today's governor), began turning it into a park.
The following year, 1873, following a notice from the Meiji government, it was recognised as one of the 25 parks first established in Japan, alongside Ueno Park in Tokyo and Kairakuen in Mito. In 1989 it was chosen as one of Japan's 100 best urban parks, and in October 2018 it was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty (meisho, a place valued for its scenery or garden).
A stroll garden of ponds and artificial hills
The park is a stroll garden, designed to be enjoyed as you walk around it, with ponds, tsukiyama (small artificial hills made of heaped earth) and flowering trees. There is the Hyotan Pond (gourd-shaped pond) on the east side and the Lotus Pond on the west, with pines and plum trees as the main plantings, plus azaleas and wisteria.
One of the artificial hills, Miyukigaoka, was made to commemorate Emperor Meiji's visit in 1878. Stone lanterns and monuments telling Niigata's history are dotted around the park.
Enkikan and the four seasons
Enkikan, in the park, is part of the mansion of a large Niigata merchant family from the Meiji era, moved here and rebuilt. Its tea room and inner reception rooms are used for tea ceremony and other cultural activities, and it is open to visitors. It stands where you can look out over the Lotus Pond.
In spring the cherry trees bloom from mid to late April, and the sky garden leading to the neighbouring arts centre Ryutopia is lit up for night-time cherry blossom viewing. Around mid-August lotus flowers bloom in the Lotus Pond, and the park changes with every season: red leaves in autumn, snowy scenes in winter.
Getting there
It is about 15 minutes by bus from Niigata Station, and you can also walk from Hakusan Station on the JR Echigo Line. If you drive, there is a paid car park. It is easy to combine with a visit to Hakusan Shrine.
Tips
- For the lotus flowers, aim for around mid-August; for cherry blossoms, mid to late April. The timing shifts a little from year to year.
- Enkikan is used for cultural activities, so check the official information for the days and times you can look around before you go.
Sources
Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
