Shōwa Kinen Park and Japanese garden

photo by Carles Tomás Martí · CC BY 3.0

A former US air base turned into Tokyo's largest park: 165 hectares, ticket 450 yen.

Opened in 1983 on a former American air base, at 165 hectares it is the largest park in Tokyo: tulips and nemophila colour the lawns in spring, an avenue of ginkgo turns gold in autumn, and inside the Japanese garden a 7-metre waterfall comes down beside the pond. Seeing all of it, several visitors say, takes at least three hours.

A national park opened in 1983 on a former American air base, for the 50th anniversary of Emperor Shōwa's reign. At 165 hectares it is the largest park in Tokyo among the national ones (regional or ward parks claim the record in their own category). It includes a 6-hectare Japanese garden with a 7-metre waterfall, fields of tulips and nemophila in spring, a long ginkgo avenue in autumn, and a free area (みどりの文化ゾーン) separate from the paid one.

ℹ️ March and October 9:30–17:00; April–September 9:30–17:00 (18:00 at weekends and on public holidays); November–February 9:30–16:30. Adult ticket 450 yen; five free days a year (in 2026: 9 and 10 May, 21 September, 24 and 25 October). Several reviews agree that seeing all of it takes at least three hours; on autumn-foliage weekends bicycle hire and the car parks run out early.

🚉 Nishi-Tachikawa · 11 min walk

Sources: showakinen-koen.jp · showakinen-koen.jp

All series · Open the map