There are several excellent reasons why we can recommend a visit to Rinkaen. Unfortunately -- and this is exceptional for the Food File -- few of them concern the act of eating. Nevertheless, this wonderful old place still qualifies (conditionally) as a classic of its kind.
In large part, this is due to the setting. The premises abut (and, in fact, used to be part of) the wide parklands of Sankeien, one of the finest gardens in all of Kanto. This great expanse of nature right next door emanates a tranquility that is even more striking, for being so close to the heart of Japan's second most populous city.
And then there's the building itself, the main part of which dates back to the Ashikaga Period, some 600 years ago. Once the residence of a Shinto priest, it was brought to this spot from the Izu Peninsula, in 1930. A "new" wing has been added on at the back, which is a mere three centuries old.