Moonlight, koto music, and lanterns at Mukojima-Hyakkaen as visitors gathered to honor Tsukimi, Japan's moon-viewing festival of gratitude.
Tsukimi

Offerings at Mukojima-Hyakkaen Gardens (©JAPAN Forward)

The garden was hushed except for the soft rustle of pampas grass and the sound of a bamboo flute. As the moon rose slowly above the trees, its light slipped across the paths of Mukojima-Hyakkaen Gardens, turning leaves silver and shadows deep. Couples, families, and photographers wandered quietly, drawn by the glow of paper lanterns and the promise of Tsukimi, Japan's moon-viewing festival.

The Meaning Behind Tsukimi

Every autumn, Japan pauses to honor the beauty of the moon. The tradition of Tsukimi (literally, "moon viewing") began in the Heian period (794–1185), when nobles celebrated the full moon with poetry, music, and sake. Reflected in ponds and sake cups, the moon symbolized refinement and gratitude for nature's bounty. 

By the Edo period (1600-1868), commoners joined the custom, offering rice dumplings, taro, and chestnuts to pray for a good harvest.

In folklore, a rabbit lives on the moon, endlessly pounding rice cakes. It's a motif that inspires the round tsukimi dango stacked in small pyramids and displayed with pampas grass (susuki). The grass, resembling ripened rice stalks, is believed to ward off evil spirits, while the dumplings express thanks for abundance. Even today, the tradition lives on in both classic and playful forms, from tsukimi soba topped with an egg yolk like a golden moon to seasonal tsukimi burgers at fast-food chains.

An Edo-Style Celebration in Tokyo

Mukojima-Hyakkaen, one of Tokyo's few surviving Edo-period flower gardens, hosts Tsukimi no Kai each year. The 2025 festival ran from October 5 to 7, coinciding with the peak bloom of bush clover (hagi). During these three nights, the garden stayed open until 9 PM, its paths lit by andon and bonbori lanterns that guided visitors through a landscape glowing with autumn color.

Mukojima Hyakkaen (©JAPAN Forward)

The event began on October 6 with a moon-offering ceremony beneath the wisteria trellis. Staff arranged pyramids of tsukimi dango alongside chestnuts and seasonal vegetables while a local performer played the shinobue flute. Music floated through the air, a scene that could have come straight from the Heian court.

Music and Ceremony Beneath the Moon

As dusk deepened, members of the Kurita Shachu ensemble performed koto music in the gazebo near the garden shop. The delicate plucking of the thirteen strings seemed to echo through the night air. 

Inside the Onari-zashiki, a historical guest chamber, members of the Mukojima-Hyakkaen Tea Ceremony Association conducted o-temae demonstrations from afternoon into evening. Visitors sat quietly as bowls of matcha and seasonal sweets were served, a perfect moment of stillness before the moon reached its height.

Silver Leaves and Lantern Glow

The garden's most enchanting feature was the display of e-andon, picture lanterns painted with art and haiku. From 5:50 to 9:00 PM, around fifty lanterns illuminated the paths, many bearing reproductions of Katsushika Hokusai's prints and poems that celebrated the Sumida River. Their soft glow gave the entire garden an ethereal atmosphere.

As I strolled beneath the trees and watched the moon slip out from behind them, I felt how light and shadow transformed the garden, every leaf alive in silver.

From Daytime Flowers to Nighttime Moonlight

The event overlapped with the annual Bush-Clover Festival (September 13–October 4), allowing visitors to enjoy both the daytime brilliance of hagi blossoms and the quiet beauty of the harvest moon. Together, they capture the Japanese aesthetic of transition, the passing from summer's lushness to autumn's calm.

Tsukimi in Modern Japan

While few today compose poetry under the moon, Tsukimi endures as a beloved seasonal marker. Families still display pampas grass and dumplings by the window, believing the moon god will bless their homes. Others head to parks or temple grounds with sake and sweets to enjoy the moonrise. In 2025, the fifteenth night (Jugoya) fell on October 6, with the full moon appearing the following night, two perfect evenings for reflection.

Pumpkin decorations at Mukojima Hyakkaen (©JAPAN Forward)

Why Mukojima-Hyakkaen Stands Apart

Unlike city rooftops or modern temples, Mukojima-Hyakkaen offers a rare chance to experience Tsukimi in an authentic Edo-period setting. Created in 1804 by a merchant who gathered poets and artists to plant 360 types of flowers, the garden blends art, nature, and history. During Tsukimi no Kai, its wisteria trellis, bush-clover tunnels, and bamboo groves are bathed in a soft glow. Families share sweets by the pond while couples linger on benches, watching shadowy rabbits appear on the moon's face.

The festival invites visitors to slow down and engage all the senses. They can watch the elegant offering of dumplings and autumn vegetables, listen to the soothing tones of flute, koto, and shamisen, and join a serene tea ceremony under the rising moon. In this way, Mukojima-Hyakkaen becomes both a celebration of Edo-period heritage and a welcoming space for modern visitors, proof that tradition remains alive when experienced together.

A Living Connection

Even in Tokyo's dense skyline, Mukojima-Hyakkaen creates an oasis of calm. The event draws locals and travelers alike, all looking up at the same moon that inspired poets a thousand years ago.

Standing there, surrounded by lanterns and the scent of autumn grass, I felt that same quiet gratitude the ancients must have known: the awareness that beauty is fleeting, but worth pausing for.

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Author: Daniel Manning

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