Shiba Park
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Shibakoen Station · 2 min walk (Toei Mita Line)
- Hours
- Open 24 hours (Service Center open 9:00–17:00, closed during New Year holidays)
- Admission
- Free (fees apply for tennis courts and baseball fields)
- Time needed
- 45–60 min
- Best time to go
- Late November to early December for the Momiji-dani ravine autumn colors and the 1641 sacred ginkgo tree, or late March to early April for cherry blossoms.
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Established in 1873, Shiba Park is one of Japan's oldest public parks, famous for offering some of the most iconic, unobstructed views of Tokyo Tower. Visitors can stroll through manicured lawns, discover an ancient 5th-century burial mound (Maruyama Kofun), and enjoy a peaceful artificial gorge with a waterfall. It is a perfect spot for cherry blossom viewing in spring and autumn foliage, offering a tranquil escape right in the heart of the city.
What Japanese guides note
Shiba Park is not a single contiguous enclosure, but a ring of separate numbered parcels wrapping around Zojoji Temple and private hospitality facilities. Reaching specific points of interest—such as the lawn directly facing Tokyo Tower, the ancient burial mound, or the Momiji-dani waterfall—requires navigating across city streets between individual numbered plots. Most visitors combine a stroll through the park plots with visits to Zojoji Temple and Shiba Toshogu Shrine located in the center.
Details from local sources
- Following postwar separation of religion and state, Shiba Park was detached from Zojoji Temple and divided into non-contiguous numbered plots encircling the temple grounds. [source]
- The Momiji-dani artificial gorge in Plot 19 was planned by early landscape designer Yasuhei Nagaoka and features a 10-meter-tall waterfall reconstructed in 1984. [source]
- Shiba Park established the first public exercise equipment in a Tokyo municipal park in 1902. [source]
- A stone monument honoring surveyor Ino Tadataka was erected in the park because his nationwide cartographic expedition commenced from nearby Takanawa Okido. [source]
- The area commonly called Shiba Park is divided across three separate administrative entities: Tokyo Metropolitan Shiba Park, Minato Ward Shiba Park, and Prince Shiba Park. [source]
- Shiba Toshogu Shrine inside the park grounds preserves a giant ginkgo tree designated as a Tokyo Natural Monument, recorded as planted by shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1641. [source]
Insider Tip
Head to the wooden boardwalk in the Momiji-dani (Maple Valley) area for the best photos of Tokyo Tower framed by vibrant maple leaves.
Frequently asked
Is Shiba Park one connected park?
No. Following postwar state-and-religion separation laws, the park was partitioned from Zojoji Temple's core into non-contiguous numbered parcels. Public roads and temple grounds separate the parcels, so visitors must navigate across streets between the athletic grounds, ravine gardens, and lawn plazas.
Can visitors walk up the Maruyama Kofun burial mound?
Yes. Stone stairs and dirt paths lead directly to the flat summit of the 110-meter-long 5th-century burial mound in Plot 1. The wooded peak features the Ino Tadataka surveying memorial and offers an elevated vantage point through the tree canopy.
Are there cafes or dining options inside Shiba Park?
The public park sections contain drink vending machines, public rest areas, and occasional food trucks, but no full-service municipal restaurants. Dining options are situated directly adjacent at Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Prince Hotel complex, and the surrounding Hamamatsucho and Daimon districts.
Is Shiba Park open and lit at night?
Yes. The grounds have no gates and remain accessible 24 hours a day without admission fees. Paved walking paths are lit, Tokyo Tower's lighting illuminates the open lawns, and seasonal night illuminations are held periodically at the Momiji-dani artificial waterfall.
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