Showa Kinen Park

Will be very beautiful if visited at the right time for autumn foliage. I visited on 28/11, ginkgo leaves are 90% fall off but the gingko yellow carpet is beautiful. Tip: if you are only interested in the Gingko Tree Avenue - get off at Nishi Tachikawa instead of Tachikawa Station. The park is big and should allocate half a day when visiting during the peak of autumn foliage.

I ended up coming to this park by chance because a friend recommended the area, and honestly, it was absolutely beautiful. I really liked this park and I’ll definitely be coming back. I went during a holiday weekend, so there were a lot of people. My friend mentioned it’s usually not that crowded, but it still gets pretty busy during fall, spring, and summer. Even though it’s fall, the colors were really pretty. There’s a gorgeous lake, and I highly recommend walking around and exploring the whole park. Please note the closing time because it’s a strict close, so make sure you give yourself enough time. I’d personally recommend at least four hours so you can walk, relax, and just enjoy the space. You can buy food inside the park, but you can also bring your own. We brought snacks and mats and sat by the river, which was really nice. The only thing I want to call out is that it’s a little bit out of the way to get to. Also, for whatever reason that day, my phone signal (and my friend’s too) was not great. Our data kept cutting in and out, so if you rely heavily on mobile data, just be aware of that. Make sure you know your route in and out beforehand. Overall, though, it’s a beautiful park and I’d definitely recommend it. I’ll be returning for spring because I can tell it’s going to be stunning.

It's a very large park with many different parts to it. It offers many attractions and areas for different groups of visitors. It has a park train that takes you around for a cost. Japanese garden is highly recommended !!! 👌 take a whole day and enjoy the park. There are rental bikes and boats as well. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants that offers many range if food as well. If you want to bring your own picnic that's fine too 🙂

Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park is absolutely stunning in autumn. The park transforms into a sea of warm colors—golden ginkgo trees, vibrant red and orange maple leaves, and wide open spaces that feel calm and refreshing. The ginkgo avenue is especially breathtaking, perfect for long walks and beautiful photos. The air is crisp, the atmosphere is peaceful, and it’s a wonderful place to relax, picnic, or simply enjoy nature. Autumn is truly the best time to visit this park.

This park is beautiful in every season, especially fall. The expansive walkways and large open spaces make it seem as if it's never overcrowded. What a beautiful way to spend a weekend morning. I love how pet friendly it is too! Highly recommend.

This is a good park to have family time specially during winter fall Autumn season. Ginkgo trees everywhere, didn’t find much maple trees. Recommend to visit in winters. Famous light show happening in the late evening time.

We visited the Ginkgo Avenue in Showa Kinen Park on the last day of our Japan Fall 2025 trip. We went at night and the illuminated ginkgo trees were beautiful, but we do wish we came earlier in our trip, most of the leaves had already fallen, so there wasn’t much left on the trees. Still, the light show made the whole walkway look magical. Just be aware of the smell from the ginkgo nuts on the ground, you’ll definitely notice it 🤣🤣🤣. It was still a lovely and memorable way to wrap up our trip.

Showa Kinen Park (昭和記念公園) Overview • Location & Size: Located in Tachikawa (western Tokyo), the park spans over 160+ hectares, making it one of the largest parks in the Tokyo area.  • History: Built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign.  • Admission: Approximately ¥450 for adults, ¥210 for seniors; children under 15 are free.  • Opening Hours: Varies by season.  ⸻ What Visitors Like (Strengths) 1. Beautiful Seasonal Flowers • Spring: Cherry blossoms, tulips, nemophila (the famous blue flower fields)  • Summer: Hydrangeas, lotus, other water plants.  • Autumn: Ginkgo trees turning golden, cosmos fields, maple in the Japanese Garden.  • There’s an annual Hydrangea Walk (early June–early July) with ~9,000 hydrangeas.  2. Spacious & Relaxing • The park is large enough that many say you need 3–4 hours (or more) to properly explore.  • Wide lawns make it ideal for picnicking.  • There is a Japanese Garden with a pond, bridges, and traditional landscaping, which offers a peaceful, refined area.  3. Great for Cycling • Multiple bike rental stations; there are dedicated cycling paths (some guide say ~11 km).  • Cycling is one of the best ways to see many parts of the park comfortably.  4. Good Variety of Activities • Boating: There’s a lake where you can rent rowboats or pedal boats.  • Barbecue: There are BBQ areas (reservations often required) for group gatherings.  • Playground: “Children’s Forest” area for kids, including trampolines / bouncing domes.  • Cultural Experience: In the Japanese Garden, you can try matcha tea and seasonal sweets.  • Bonsai & Museum: There’s a bonsai museum and a small memorial area dedicated to Emperor Showa.  5. Accessibility & Practicality • Several entrances: e.g., Nishi-Tachikawa Station is very close.  • Facilities: Wheelchair-friendly paths, lockers near gates.  • Reasonable cost: Given the size and what you can do, many feel the admission price is fair. On Reddit, someone said getting an annual pass (~¥4,500) makes it very cost-effective.  6. Quiet Escape from the City • Despite its size and beauty, the park tends to feel calmer and less “touristy” than more central Tokyo parks.  • Great for a relaxing day out, especially for families, couples, or anyone needing a breathing space away from the city.  ⸻ Drawbacks / Things to Watch Out For • Size Can Be Intimidating: Because it’s so large, if you don’t plan, you might miss a lot. Some visitors recommend renting a bike or using the park train.  • Time-Consuming: To really appreciate the park (flower areas, garden, lake, etc.), you’ll want at least a half to full day.  • Peak Crowds: During major flower seasons (like nemophila in spring or ginkgo in autumn), some areas may see more visitors.  • BBQ Area Requires Planning: The BBQ garden is popular, so booking ahead may be necessary.  • Water or Pool Facilities: Not always open or may have seasonal restrictions (e.g., the water-play / pool area). (Note: check current status before planning) • Entrance Fee: While quite reasonable, the fee may be a downside compared with completely free parks. Some Reddit users mention this.  ⸻ Overall Impression • Highly Recommended: For visitors who love nature, flowers, and relaxing outdoor spaces, Showa Kinen Park is a standout. • Best Times to Visit: • Spring for tulips, cherry blossoms, nemophila. • Autumn for ginkgo trees and cosmos. • Summer for hydrangeas and boating (if open). • Ideal For: Families, couples, photographers, anyone wanting a peaceful break from Tokyo’s hustle.

My now favorite park in TOKYO. Lots of trails and space ! Beautiful shops near by and art everywhere on the walk there from the train. Definitely take the train and enjoy the city ! Tachikawa is a special plac

Super fun park. SUPER big. Cost about 550¥ to enter. Kids are free. There are many different areas so check out their website or google maps to use the best entrance for what you want. THe kids area is gigantic. Slide, climbs nets, mist forest, giant mosaic dragons and more. You can ride your bike into the park or you can rent bikes. Currently during Covid 2020 the water park in the south is closed. Everything else seems to be open.

Yoyogikoen, Shinjuku gyoen aren't that bad. But being located in central Tokyo, I alway get irritated by clusterfuckness. Sure you can go there casually, but millions of other people are thinking same way. So it gets too crowded for the park. This park is located 40min from central Tokyo. This challenge shaves some millions(my bullshit estimate I have to warn you). Even though there would be still lots of people, this park is so huuuuge(This area used to be airfield and US military base shortly after WWII) that I don't feel cluttered like in Yoyogikoen or Shinjuku gyoen. And they offer bicycle rental. This is a huge help to go around in this vast park in limited time. And Spring time, especially if you aim for Sakura season, your experience will be so freakin magical and amazing. Just look at these photos I took. No words can describe it.

This park is HUGE! You can easily spend the WHOLE day here relaxing and picnic-ing on the great lawn. It took us about 2 hours from Roppongi station in Tokyo to get to the Entrance gate of the park. There's ALOT of walking to get there so put on comfortable shoes. We also had a young child with us which adds on another 30 minutes. We got off at the Tachikawa JR Station and walked towards the North Exit towards the park. It's about a 20 - 30 minute walk, depending on how fast you walk, to the Tachikawa Gate Entrance. There are 3 gate entrances - Tachikawa Gate (closest to Tachikawa JR station) , Nishi - Tachikawa Gate (closest to the Nishi-Tachikawa Station) and the other gate is North of the park. You pay the Y410 entrance fee at the machines at the gate. You can rent bicycles! The bicycle lanes/streets are completely different from the pedestrian lanes so you don't even see the bicycles. So, it's very safe. They have mamachari bicycles which is sooo convenient but I'd be sure to wipe it down before use as you don't really know if they are cleaned out daily. You can bring your own food into the park but there also many restaurants and outdoor and indoor cafe's where you can buy snacks and drinks. They also have really fun play areas for children!

This park is such a treasure in West Tokyo. It didn't look very big on the map, so unfortunately I only budgeted 1.5 hours here (I arrived around 3pm and it closes at 5pm). It's an absolutely stunning park with a 450¥ entrance fee that is totally worth it. I paid 300¥ to go around in the tram so that I could see more; I basically got off at the tulip garden and walked my way out. Even though I really only saw the tulip garden and the serpentine area (weird description to describe a twisting river haha), it made the trek totally worth it. I've never seen so many - and such beautifully arranged and beautifully colored - tulips in one place in my life. I wish I had had more time to explore the rest of the park.

This park is a great getaway from the concrete jungle of Tokyo. Located right outside Nishi-Tachikawa station you can easily walk there. If traveling without kids and the stroller make sure to rent a bicycle - they even have tandem bikes for those who really want to test out their teamwork skills!! Bring a snack or picnic, as well as hand sanitizer! The best spot here are the giant "marshmallows" aka the bouncy trampoline thing. If you're a big kid make sure to keep an eye on all the tiny humans!

We took the JR Rail (Chou Line) to the Tachikawa Station and entered the park at the Tachikawa gate entrance, The entry fee into the park is about 310 yen per adult, 150 yen per child. The park is ginormous and a lot of walking is required, You can rent bicycles at the park for 410 yen per adult or 260 per child. They do have a park train for 310 yen per adult and 150 per child. There are plenty of space for play and during my trip there I saw a lot of picnickers gathering underneath blossoming sakura cherry trees as is the tradition in Japan. There are some food booths near the open field areas of the park. Plenty of clean bathrooms throughout the park. It is very clean and well taken care of as the majority of parks in Japan. The park is also dog friendly so a lot of people bring out their dogs of all breeds to the park but they must be leashed at all times.

Wow! This is some humongous park! We trekked from western Tokyo to Tachikawa to meet up with one of my college friends. We checked it out during Golden Week - there was plenty of green space for the plenty of people in the park. Admission price is very reasonable. Parking is extra - we didn't have to worry about that. Lots of walking - we didn't get so see all the areas - biking might be a good option for those inclined. We enjoyed taking photographs of the flowers and the scenery. Lucky to see the bonzai exhibit (not sure if temporary or permanent or rotating). Nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I cannot count how many times I have been to this park. It is difficult to find on Yelp if you type in the correct name as I did - Showa Kinen Koen, rather than the Sho-wakinenkouen. I am not sure where that came from. This park is so great for so many different reasons. First, if you get off at Nishi Tachikawa station, it is right there. As in you go up the stairs off the platform and the bridge takes you right to the entrance. You have to pay to get in, but the cost is nominal. Inside the park it is easy to get lost trying to figure out where you want to go. In summer they have a kids pool area which is an ice skating rink in the winter. The park has so many flowers in the spring and small fields of various flowers as well that you can walk through. Giant fields and small fields, miniture golf, BBQ area, a biking course, two disc golf courses, a Japanese garden that you pay extra to enter, a river, although is closer to a creek if anything. I have been to a freezbie contest for dogs, a disc golf competition, and a few other events that are held mostly in warmer months. However, the two best events are cherry blossom season and the fireworks festival. For cherry blossom season the park stays open later than usual and some of the cherry blossom trees are lit up with flood lights. There are so many trees in the park that you should be able to find your "own" area if you don't like the large crowds in the more popular Everyone's Field. The fireworks display is also a special day because the park stays open late. There are a lot of trees in the park, so you really have to know where the fireworks will be displayed in order to find the right seat. There is also an area just to the right of the park that does not require a fee entrance. Years ago they had frisbee football on Sunday mornings. There is always something to do and I think this is one of my favorite parks anywhere.