Tonogayato Park

The Musashino Plains are blessed to me and happens to be where I make my home. So, on my rare day off I wanted to explore my area of Tokyo by making my way to Kokubunji. Tonogayato Garden is a 2 min walk from the South exit of Kokubunji station. I walked 75 minutes from my home in Musashino City because the street running along the side of the train line had some cafes and restaurants I was scoping out, I love the feeling of discovery when I go for walks, and primarily because I am plain happy to meander. This excursion was inspired by a dear friend/student who the other day, spent an hour breaking down the elements of a Japanese garden to me. I researched and planned to visit Tonogayato because of its status as one of nine core Tokyo metropolitan core gardens, it is nearby, and is a microcosm of the days gone by not in just the visual landscape but in the flora and geographical features; natural spring waters emerge from small, lasting cliffs. So precious was maintaining this space that the community rallied around saving it when it was proposed to be destroyed to modernize the area.

Origin: History is easy to find in Japan and Tokyo is jammed with its phenomenal share of it. The gardens are not very old; built in 1913 for Eguchi Teiji who became president of the South Manchuria Railway (which can cause discomfort when considering the part it played in Japanese colonialism), and then was bought by Iwasaki Hikoyata, president of Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha, and was owned by his family until 1974 when Tokyo Metropolitan government purchased it.

Impression: It is a lovely contemplative place, I arrived shortly after 9am on a Wednesday morning and had the park to myself until 10:30. It is a small, circular walk that leads uphill to the azumaya, the viewpoint reveals the beautiful layers of the landscape and overlooks the koi pond. It is a 150 yen mental massage- can’t say no to that!

The Basics

Tickets: General, 150 yen/ Over 65 years old, 70 yen/ Elementary school students and Tokyo Junior high school student, free

Hours: Open daily from 9-5 (last entry 4:30) Closed     from Dec 29- Jan 1

Location: 2-16 Minami-machi, Kokubunji City, Tokyo 185-0021
Access: JR Chuo Line, Kokubunji Sta., South Exit (2 minutes on foot)
*No parking available
Tonogayato Garden Office Tel: 042-324-7991

Website: http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/tonogayato/outline.html