Asukayama Park

Calling all train-loving kids!

Famous for its cherry blossoms, this park also has a variety of playground equipment for children to enjoy. There are also a steam locomotive and a tram carriage that you can actually enter as well as a low hill from which you can watch Shinkansen bullet trains and various other trains, making the park a hugely popular spot for railway fans.

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Within the park there is also the Shibusawa Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to Meiji-era industrialist Shibusawa Eiichi, whose portrait is to appear on the new 10,000 yen note to be issued from 2024.

 Tokyo Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line)3-minute walk from Asukayama Stop

 Tokyo Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line)5-minute walk from Oji-ekimae Stop

Sumida Park

Gazing up at Tokyo Skytree through fresh green leaves

Located on both banks of the Sumida River, this park bustles with visitors in spring for cherry blossom viewing and in summer for fireworks and other events. Also, on the Taito City side of the river is a children's playground with a whale-shaped slippery-slide, a wooden obstacle course, and other play equipment, while on the Sumida City side, there is a fishing pond, a youth baseball ground where legendary baseball player Sadaharu Oh used to practice, Japanese-style gardens, and various other facilities to enjoy.

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The Sumida Park Youth Baseball Ground is Japan's first youth baseball ground. Legendary baseball player Sadaharu Oh played here as a youth, developing his baseball skills.

 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Toei Asakusa Line

Hikarigaoka Park

Abundant playground equipment to put a sparkle in children's eyes!

Boasting a vast area 13 times the size of Tokyo Dome, this park includes a 3-kilometer long running course through abundant nature, as well as tennis courts, baseball grounds, and various other sporting facilities. In addition, the Chibikko Hiroba playground offers a wide variety of complex playground equipment where children can play to their hearts content.

Hikarigaoka Park was once an airfield. After WWII, Hikarigaoka became an American military housing complex and was then known as Grant Heights, but after the area was returned to Japan in 1973, around one-third was made into Hikarigaoka Park.

 8-minute walk from Hikarigaoka Station on the Toei Oedo Line

Rikugien Gardens

Relax with a bowl of matcha green tea while admiring the elegant view

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, Lord of the Kawagoe Domain, personally oversaw the construction of these gardens, creating a traditional Japanese-style strolling pond garden with small artificial hills over a period of 7 years. The Gardens are designated as a place of national scenic beauty. After taking a stroll around the pond to savor the changing seasons, relax with a bowl of matcha green tea and exquisite traditional Japanese sweets at the Fukiage Chaya teahouse located on the Garden's grounds.

The Gardens recreate in miniature 88 landscapes described in famous poetry anthologies, such as the beautiful Kishu-Wakanoura region celebrated in the Manyoshu (Japan's oldest collection of poetry) and scenes depicted in the Kokin Wakashu, as well as Chinese classics.

 10-minute walk from Sengoku Station on the Toei Mita Line

Kitanomaru Garden

Enjoy a green adventure in the heart of the Metropolis!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Kitanomaru Garden to the general public. This garden is located on the site of the northernmost section of Edo Castle, the Kitanomaru. Here, you can enjoy viewing spring cherry blossoms and autumnal leaves, while the rolling green lawns are perfect for picnics. Within the Garden there is also a “Green Adventure Course” featuring the Garden’s various plants.

Tayasu-mon Gate, a relic from the Edo Period

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There are also maps from the Edo Period (1603-1868) and a panel display of images from the time of the Garden’s construction. Also, the stone walls of the Tayasu-mon gate and Shimizu-mon gate are carved with the family crests and codes of the feudal lords and others involved in the construction of Edo Castle, as well as charms to protect the castle.

 An approx. 5-minute walk from Kudanshita Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line

Toneri Park

A nature-rich treasure chest of flora and fauna!

Blessed with greenery and water features, Toneri Park covers a vast area that includes sporting facilities, barbecue areas, and a range of other facilities, with construction of new facilities continuing even now. There is a sled slope where children can immerse themselves in play, as well as a forest where you can enjoy peaceful walks and even birdwatching.

Although there are various theories as to how the local name “Toneri” originated, ancient documents indicate that a person named Toneri lived here during the Warring States Period (1467–1567). There was also a castle called Toneri Castle in the vicinity.

 2-minute walk from Toneri-Koen Station on the Nippori-Toneri Line