Updated in September 2026, this Makino Botanical Garden guide covers ticket prices, opening hours, parking or transport, accessibility and what to see.
The Makino Botanical Garden is a research botanical garden on Mount Godaisan in Kochi City, Japan, honouring the botanist Dr Tomitaro Makino. As of September 2026, adult admission costs ¥850, and the garden closes for scheduled maintenance on specific dates each month, including 28 September 2026, rather than on a fixed weekly closing day.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Daily, 9:00–17:00 (last admission 16:30) |
| Ticket prices | Adults ¥850; high school students and under free; groups (20+) ¥750 |
| Address | 4200-6 Godaisan, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture 781-8125, Japan |
| Nearest transport / parking | MY-YU loop bus from JR Kochi Station (about 30 minutes); free on-site parking |
| Typical time needed | 1.5 to 2.5 hours |
Makino Botanical Garden opening hours
The garden opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00, with last admission at 16:30. These hours apply year-round, with no seasonal variation.
The garden closes over the New Year period, from 27 December to 1 January, and for scheduled monthly maintenance days, including 31 August, 28 September, 26 October and 30 November 2026. Check the official opening hours page before visiting, since maintenance dates are set roughly a year in advance and vary by month.
Makino Botanical Garden ticket prices
Standard adult admission costs ¥850. Visitors in full-time education up to high school age enter free, and a cheaper rate applies to larger groups.
- Adults: ¥850
- Groups of 20 or more: ¥750 per person
- High school students and younger: free
- Annual pass: ¥2,500, valid for unlimited entry over 12 months
- Holders of Japanese disability certificates, plus one carer, and Kochi longevity (elderly) certificate holders: free, with the certificate shown at the counter
Opening hours and ticket prices were checked on the official website and last updated in September 2026. Check the official site for the latest figures before you travel, since admission rises to ¥1,700 during the garden’s Orchid Exhibition, held over several weeks each February.
The garden is not part of a broader multi-attraction city pass. It does run a reciprocal ticket-stub discount with Monet’s Garden Marmottan in nearby Kitagawa Village: showing a paper ticket stub from either garden at the other’s entrance currently gives ¥100 off admission, subject to change without notice.
How to get to the Makino Botanical Garden
From JR Kochi Station, the only public transport route is the MY-YU sightseeing loop bus, taking about 30 minutes from the station’s south exit. From Kochi Ryoma Airport, take the airport limousine bus to Harimaya Bridge or JR Kochi Station, then transfer to the MY-YU bus, alighting at the garden’s main gate stop.
By car, the garden is about 20 minutes from Harimaya Bridge, in central Kochi, or 15 to 25 minutes from the Kochi Expressway’s Kochi IC, Kochi Minami IC or Kochi Ryoma Airport. If using a car’s navigation system, set the destination to Chikurin-ji Temple rather than the garden itself, since some systems end guidance early when “Makino Botanical Garden” is entered directly.
Parking at the Makino Botanical Garden
Parking is free, with space for 225 cars and 6 coaches on site. A live indicator on the official website shows current parking availability before you set off.
Road signs toward the garden are marked for “Godaisan,” “Makino Botanical Garden” or “Chikurin-ji Temple”, all of which lead to the same hillside area.
How long to spend at the Makino Botanical Garden
Most visitors need 1.5 to 2.5 hours to cover the main planted areas, the conservatory and the exhibition hall. Allow more time in spring and autumn, when the gardens are at their most colourful.
Accessibility at the Makino Botanical Garden
Wheelchairs and pushchairs can be borrowed free of charge at the entrance counter, though numbers are limited. Lifts serve the main building’s two floors, the conservatory, and the Plant Research Exchange Centre, and ramps are fitted throughout the grounds, though some slopes, steps and narrow paths remain.
Accessible toilets, nursing rooms and baby-changing facilities are available in the Main Building, Exhibition Hall and Plant Research Exchange Centre.
Inside the Makino Botanical Garden
The garden opened in April 1958, the year after Dr Makino’s death, to honour his work as the “father of Japanese plant taxonomy.” Spread across roughly 8 hectares of hillside, it displays more than 3,000 species of wild and cultivated plants connected to his research, and is the only comprehensive botanical garden in Shikoku.
The conservatory holds rare plants from overseas, arranged into tropical, dryland, water-garden and jungle zones, with an upper deck for viewing the canopy from above. Blooming times are carefully staggered so that flowers are on display all year round.
The grounds divide into a North Garden, known for cherry blossoms and azaleas each spring, and a South Garden, built on former Chikurin-ji Temple land. The South Garden holds the Tosa Kanran Center, dedicated to a variety of orchid named after Dr Makino, along with wild azaleas and the pond-filled 50th Anniversary Garden.
The Exhibition Hall houses a permanent display on “The Life of Tomitaro Makino,” alongside an interactive plant exhibit and a café overlooking a courtyard planted with 250 species Dr Makino personally studied. The garden’s herbarium, not generally open to the public, holds around 350,000 specimens, including thousands gathered through ongoing botanical research in Myanmar.
Around 200 metres from the garden, Godaisan Park offers panoramic views over Kochi city and Urado Bay, considered one of the city’s best night views, alongside Chikurin-ji Temple, the 31st stop on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
Practical visitor tips
| Aspect | Tip |
|---|---|
| Timing | Visit on a weekday morning for the quietest walk through the gardens. |
| Crowds | The Orchid Exhibition in February and cherry blossom season in spring draw the largest crowds. |
| Layout | The North and South Gardens cover a hillside, so comfortable shoes make the walk between them easier. |
| Entry process | Tickets are sold at the entrance gate; the annual pass is worth considering for repeat visits. |
| On-site logistics | The garden is entirely non-smoking, and drones and ball games are not permitted anywhere on site. |
Frequently asked questions about the Makino Botanical Garden
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Makino Botanical Garden suitable for children? | Yes. High school students and younger enter free, and the conservatory suits visitors of all ages. |
| Do you need to book tickets in advance? | No, tickets are sold at the entrance gate on the day. |
| Is the Makino Botanical Garden open every day? | Nearly. It closes only over New Year and on scheduled monthly maintenance days. |
| Are bags allowed inside? | Small bags are permitted; large equipment such as drones and ball games are not allowed. |
| Is the garden wheelchair accessible? | Largely, yes. Lifts and ramps serve most areas, though some slopes and narrow paths remain. |
Things to do near the Makino Botanical Garden
- Chikurin-ji Temple: a historic temple on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage, sharing the same hillside as the garden.
- Godaisan Park observation deck: panoramic daytime and night views over Kochi city and Urado Bay.
- Kochi Castle: one of Japan’s few original castle keeps, in the centre of Kochi city.
- Hirome Market: a lively indoor food market in central Kochi, popular for local dishes.
- Katsurahama Beach: a scenic pebble beach with a statue of the historical figure Sakamoto Ryoma.
Alternative attractions
- Monet’s Garden Marmottan, Kitagawa Village: a garden inspired by Claude Monet’s Giverny, around 1 hour by car.
- Kochi Prefectural Makino Park, Sakawa: a memorial park in Dr Makino’s home town, around 1 hour by car.
- Niyodo River: a scenically clear river known locally as “Niyodo Blue,” with viewpoints around Ochi town, around 1 hour by car.
- Shimanto River Gakuyu-kan: a nature and river museum on the Shimanto River, around 1.5 to 2 hours by car.
- Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu: a large Edo-period landscape garden in neighbouring Kagawa Prefecture, around 2.5 hours by car.
More Japan travel
Other Japan travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- What you need to know before visiting the Hiroshima Orizuru Tower.
- A practical guide to the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka.
- Discover a snack food legend at the Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum.
- Kyoto Railway Museum visitor guide – with opening hours, ticket prices and tips.
- Guide to exploring Ryugado Cave in Kochi, Japan.
