Happo-en
Happo-en is a 400-year-old garden in Shirokanedai that runs more than 2,000 traditional Japanese weddings a year, which makes it the most practised venue on this list and the least likely to be surprised by anything your day involves.
Happo-en is a garden destination wedding venue in Shirokanedai, Japan, hosting 6 to 600 guests in the $$$ price range, reached from Tokyo Haneda (HND), ~30 minutes by car. Best months: July, August, September, December.
Happo-en in Shirokanedai, open July – September, December.
Happo-en is a 400-year-old garden in Shirokanedai that runs more than 2,000 traditional Japanese weddings a year, which makes it the most practised venue on this list and the least likely to be surprised by anything your day involves.
The land was taken in the early Edo period by a retainer in Tokugawa Ieyasu’s court, and the garden that grew on it holds a pond, a bonsai collection with trees in the hundreds of years, and Mu-an, a 19th-century teahouse moved here from Yokohama that seats six and is used for tea before or after the ceremony.
English and Japanese are both spoken at the teahouse.
Banquet rooms run from small family rooms taking under 40 up to halls for several hundred, and the venue publishes plan prices rather than hiding them: the Washi plan is 1,160,000 yen for 40 people with 22,000 yen a head beyond that, and photograph plans start at 220,000 to 242,000 yen.
4 notes of our own.
400-year-old garden dating to the early Edo period
More than 2,000 traditional Japanese weddings a year
Mu-an teahouse, 19th century, seats six, English and Japanese
Banquet rooms from under 40 guests up to several hundred
Best held in July, August, September.
The months the weather, and the local rhythm, is kindest to a stay at Happo-en.
Ask about a date.
Choose a day from the calendar.
Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A first note comes back within two business days.
How the weekend usually runs.
Yours will be different, nothing below is required. Every planning begins with the three meals you most want to eat, and builds outward.
- 19:00Welcome dinner in Shirokanedai, guests checked in at Shinagawa
- 10:30Kimono dressing on site, photographs by the pond
- 13:00Tea for the immediate family at the Mu-an teahouse
- 15:00Shinto ceremony, procession through the garden
- 17:00Banquet, speeches, cake in the hall above the garden
- 11:00Farewell lunch, guests on to Kyoto from Shinagawa
Things worth knowing.
HND · ~30 minutes by car
Guests fly into Tokyo Haneda. Our team arranges every transfer.
$19,000
The plan and per-head figures are published by Happo-en. The hotel rate and the total are ours, converted at about 155 yen to the dollar. Bring-in fees for outside photographers or florists are common in Japan and are quoted separately.
See the full figure+
3,000,000 to 6,000,000 yen for 60 guests, about $19,000 to $39,000 (estimated)
Inside the plan; photograph plans published from 220,000 yen Western style and 242,000 yen Japanese style
A one-time licence and setup fee, paid to the venue.
See the full figure+
Inside the plan; photograph plans published from 220,000 yen Western style and 242,000 yen Japanese style (venue-published)
$140 / head
A seated dinner with wine and service, by headcount.
See the full figure+
22,000 yen a head above the Washi plan base of 40 guests, about $140 (venue-published)
$130 / night
A standard room in the wedding window. Group rates on request.
See the full figure+
No rooms on site; Shinagawa and Meguro hotels from 20,000 yen, about $130 (estimated)
July – September, December
The 4 months the weather is kindest. Shoulder dates soften the light and the rates.
Figures are estimates, modeled from regional rates and public sources, not a quote from the venue. Once the venue claims this page, their own rates take precedence.
Asked along the way.
How many guests can Happo-en take?+
The range is wide. Small family rooms take fewer than 40 and the larger halls run to several hundred, so most guest lists fit somewhere. The garden ceremony route is what limits numbers on a wet day, not the banquet rooms.
What does a wedding at Happo-en cost?+
The venue publishes plans. The Washi plan is 1,160,000 yen for 40 people with 22,000 yen a head above that, an after-party plan runs 10,000 yen a head including tax and service, and location photograph plans start at 220,000 yen Western style or 242,000 yen Japanese style.
Is there English-language support?+
Partly, and honestly. The website runs in English, the teahouse is staffed in English and Japanese, and the venue is used to overseas guests, but a Shinto ceremony itself is conducted in Japanese and most international couples bring a bilingual planner.
Can guests stay on site?+
No, Happo-en has no accommodation. Shirokanedai sits between Meguro and Shinagawa, so guests usually book around Shinagawa station, which is ten minutes away by taxi and on the Shinkansen line for anyone continuing to Kyoto.
When is the garden at its best?+
Late March and early April for the cherry trees, and November for the maples over the pond. Tokyo’s rainy season is June, and August is hot enough that an outdoor ceremony at midday is not a kindness to anyone in formal dress.
Others to weigh.
Ask about dates at Happo-en.
A note to us with a rough season and guest count. Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A reply comes within two business days, from a person by name.