Showa Kinen Park
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Nishi-Tachikawa Station · 2 min walk (JR Ōme Line)
- Hours
- 9:30–17:00 (Mar–Oct; open until 18:00 on Sat, Sun & holidays Apr–Sep), 9:30–16:30 (Nov–Feb); closed Dec 31–Jan 1 and 3rd Mon–Fri in Jan
- Admission
- ¥450 (adults 15+), ¥210 (seniors 65+), free (children junior high school age and younger)
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Best time to go
- Mid-to-late November, when the 106 ginkgos along the Canal and the Katarai Ginkgo Avenue turn yellow alongside the Japanese Garden maples.
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Spanning over 160 hectares in Tokyo's western suburbs, this massive national park is a year-round natural escape famous for its stunning autumn ginkgo avenue and spring cherry blossoms. Visitors can rent bicycles to explore the expansive network of paved paths, relax by the massive central pond, or visit a traditional Japanese garden complete with a teahouse.
What Japanese guides note
The park encompasses more than 160 hectares, making foot travel between distant gates like Tachikawa and Sunagawa time-consuming. Travelers often mistakenly walk from Tachikawa Station, which requires an 18-minute walk to the nearest ticketed gate, whereas Nishi-Tachikawa Station exits directly into the park within two minutes. On autumn weekends and during spring blooms, rental bicycle queues form early and depots routinely run out of bikes, making arrival at the 9:30 opening advisable.
Details from local sources
- The park's Japanese Garden covers approximately 6 hectares and opened in April 1997 as the largest post-war stroll garden in the Tokyo metropolitan area. [source]
- Picnics, leisure sheets, shade tents, pets, and smoking are prohibited inside the Japanese Garden, with exceptions made only for hydration. [source]
- Visitors can exit and re-enter the park on the same day by asking gate staff for a paper re-entry ticket before leaving. [source]
- The Canal near Tachikawa Gate features a symmetrical 200-meter waterway flanked by 106 ginkgo trees pruned into box hedges. [source]
- The Park Train loops around the grounds in 50 to 60 minutes for ¥400 per single ride, but sales of its ¥600 day pass are suspended during peak crowding. [source]
- Privately owned bicycles can only enter through designated cycling gates and must stay strictly on the dedicated 14-kilometer cycling tracks. [source]
Insider Tip
Rent a bicycle immediately at the Tachikawa gate; the park is too vast to cover comfortably entirely on foot.
Frequently asked
Which train station provides the fastest access to the park?
Nishi-Tachikawa Station on the JR Ōme Line is the closest, located a two-minute walk from the park's Nishi-Tachikawa Gate. Tachikawa Station requires a 10-minute walk to reach the free Green Culture Zone or an 18-minute walk to reach Tachikawa Gate. Nishi-Tachikawa provides immediate entry to the ticketed park grounds.
Can I leave and re-enter Showa Kinen Park on the same day?
Yes. Showa Kinen Park allows same-day re-entry across all its gates. Before passing through the exit turnstiles, inform a staff member at the gate to receive a same-day re-entry ticket. Present this re-entry pass alongside your initial ticket stub when returning to the park.
Can I ride rental bicycles everywhere inside the park?
No. Bicycles, whether rented on-site or brought from outside, must remain on the dedicated cycling path network and at designated bicycle parking areas. Cycling is prohibited on pedestrian walkways, across the central open lawns, inside the Japanese Garden, and within the Komorebi no Sato village area.
Are food and picnic blankets permitted inside the Japanese Garden?
No. Unlike the open lawns where picnicking and shade tents are common, the 6-hectare Japanese Garden prohibits leisure sheets, pop-up tents, outside food, smoking, and pets. Visitors may only drink water or tea for hydration, or order matcha and confections inside the Kanfūtei teahouse.
How does the on-site Park Train work?
The road-train vehicle traverses designated routes, completing a circuit around the park in roughly 50 to 60 minutes. One-way rides cost ¥400 for adults, paid in cash to the conductor. While ¥600 day passes exist, park management routinely suspends pass sales on busy weekends and peak flower holidays.
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