A quantitative survey focusing on the geographical distribution of botanical gardens in Japan was conducted to clarify the changes and factors evident between the Meiji to the Heisei era（1868-2019）. 216 botanical garden-related facilities were surveyed, these were members of the Japan Association of Botanical Gardens, which is the only botanical garden organization in Japan. The distribution range of botanical gardens in Japan more than doubled after World War II and about 90% of the prefectures had botanical gardens in 2005. A comparison of the transition of the geographical distribution of three types of establishers, school, public, and private, indicated a difference in each category. The number of school gardens and public gardens was strongly correlated with population. The change in the distribution area of private gardens was thought to be due to the impact of tourism demand. Botanical gardens in Japan were established mainly in the Kanto and Kinki regions until the end of World War II and established in all regions after the war. Differences in changes in the number of botanical gardens by region were thought to be due to urban development, population growth and urban greening in urban areas, and tourism promotion and transportation development in rural areas.
