Let us introduce some attractive features of Musashino region.
Musashino group of parks and those surroundings are located between the center of Tokyo Metropolis and mountainous area of Tamakyuryo hills.
An abundance of natural scenery still remains in the area such as spring waters alongside escarpments( Kokubunji-gaisen, Hake), Nogawa River, Tamagawajosui Canal, woods surrounding old residences and vegetable gardens. You can enjoy the calm of countryside there. These areas are also important as habitat for plants and animals.
A stretch of green on
the Kokubunji Escarpment
(Musashino Park)
Spring waters run through
Nogawa River
(Nogawa Park)
Rare wild flower
Musashinokisuge daylily
(Sengenyama Park)
We distribute the self-guided sheet full of information about animals and plants found in Musashino Metropolitan Parks. Let’s take this sheet and go find them!
In the parks you can enjoy wandering through the greenery, playing in the water and watching plants or small creatures in the woods. There are playgrounds for children and many recreations and sports activities. There are leafy residential streets and unique cafes around the parks. Utilizing those surroundings many citizens live a varied nature-based life in Musashino.
Sports activities
surrounded by trees
(Nogawa Park)
Nice little path for a walk
(Musashikokubunji Park)
Since the Meiji era many artists and writers have been attracted and lived in Musashino. Universities of a wide variety of fields such as natural science, economics, language, and art are dotted throughout the area. In addition there are lots of historical heritage inside and outside of the parks. This multifaceted culture of Musashino invites many people to this area.
Historical preservation of
Tamagawajosui
(Tamagawajosui Scenic Road)
Tozando-Road historic site
(Musashikokubunji Park)
This highly rustic park is situated along the Nogawa River, covered with a grassy plain and groves of trees. It has a nursery where seedlings are raised to be planted in parks and along streets in Tokyo. One can observe how the trees are grown while taking a stroll in the park.
In mid to late April, about 800 various cherry trees such as someiyoshino bloom sequentially. The Park is part of the Musashino forest along with Fuchunomori Park, Sengenyama Park, Musashinonomori Park, Tama Cemetery, Nogawa Park, Jindai Botanical Gardens, Jindaiji Temple, the National Astronomical Observatory, and other sites.
The Tama plateau was worn away long ago by the old Tamagawa and other rivers, leaving what is now known as Sengenyama. The Sengen shrine is enshrined atop of Doyama which, at 80 meters above ground, is the highest of Sengenyama’s three summits.
Also atop of Sengenyama is the Mitarai Shrine and the grave trace of Shiro Hitomi, a clan leader of Boshu in modern-day southern Chiba prefecture. During the World War Ⅱ, the land was confiscated by the army for use as a munitions storehouse. After the war it was granted to the community and opened as a park in 1970.
The Tama Cemetery is located just across the Kisuge bridge, east of the park.
This park is blessed with abundant water and greenery. The land that is now Nogawa Park was previously the golf course of International Christian University. That golf course was purchased by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the park was developed under the Musashino Forest Initiative along with green zones such as Jindai Botanical Gardens, Musashino Park, Tama Cemetery, Chofu Airport, Sengenyama Park, and Fuchunomori Park. It opend in June 1980. Nogawa Park strides Chofu, Koganei, and Mitaka Cities, and is separated into three sections by Nogawa River and Tohachi avenue. Those sections are the north side of Nogawa River touching the Kokubunji cliffline with abundant nature, the rolling grassy field between Tohachi Road and Nogawa River, and the south side with broud, open grassy fields, tennis courts, and athletic facilities. In all of those sections, the greenery surrounds you to give a relaxing feeling.
The Sayama Sakai Scenic Road is the result of greening the area where water pipes were laid from Tama Lake to the Sakai filtration plant. Today, a 10.5-kilometer stretch of road from Nishitokyo City to Higashimurayama City is open. Many flowering trees and plants line the road, including azaleas, Japanese kerrias, hydrangeas, and cherry(someiyoshino), brightening the way with their colors in spring. A four-meter wide cycling and pedestrian road runs alongside the scenic road, allowing for walks and rides to and from Koganei Park, Higashimurayama-Chuo Park, and Sayama Park.
The scenic road was built alongside the Tamagawajosui water supply channel. When wells and streams could no longer meet old Edo’s demand for drinking water, the shogunate devised a plan to bring in water from Tamagawa River. The water supply channel is said to have been completed in 1653 by the brothers Shoemon and Seiemon Tamagawa, and it has been known as Tamagawajosui water supply canal ever since.
The channel runs 43 kilometers from its intake at Hamura on the Tamagawa River to Yotsuya Okido gate. As the elevation difference between those points is small, it was a major task to get the water to flow well.
The area downstream from Miyamoto bridge was designated as a historical and environmental preservation area by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1999. Additionally, the area downstream from the Hamura water intake was designated as a national historical landmark in 2003.
Today, the area open as the Tamagawajosui Scenic Road is a 23.8 kilometer stretch from Mure Bridge in Mitaka to Heiwa Bridge in Fussa. One can go even further upstream to get a view of what the channel was originally like.
This park was made by arranging the site of a school run by the former Japanese National Railways and the site of detached houses of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The park and its surroundings are known to be habited since the pre-ceramic period and have been designated a site containing buried cultural properties. Circular open space of 500 meters of circumference is located in the north section of the park and you can enjoy walking. That functions as an evacuation center in case of disaster and helps recharge groundwater. Many people will be fascinated with the flower bed along the street all seasons. The Nishimoto area is "a protected zone"and "Yachonomori " walking paths are surrounded with green of Musashino. If you are lucky, you might happen to see a Japanese green woodpecker or a goshawk. The lawn in the "Komorebi field" is the best place to have picnic for families. Kokubunji green zone adjacent to the south section holds the Otakanomichi path and Masugata pond, and the surrounding area is a grouping of spring known as a hake. That spring water has been selected as being in the top 100 in Japan. Consideration is given in this all-purpose park to natural enviroment, cultural and historical heritage, while providing it with disaster-prevention functions.
Rokusen Park is a new park, just opened in April 2006.
It offers an entrance plaza, grass field, flowerbeds, and flowing water.
Located at the center of Higashikurume City, this park has been planned as a base of greenery in the northern Tama region.
Good agricultural land is still left in the plan area, providing precious open space in an urban environment.That space will continue to be preserved as a park. And park development will be ongoing from a long-term perspective so it will help restore the original Musashino scenery and serve as evacuation center in times of disaster.
Higashi-Fushimi Park is located in the east part of Nishitokyo City.
The forest nearby Higashi-Fushimi Inari Shrine is registered as a green conservation area.
The park is currently used for exercise and relaxation.After further preparations it will be a place for lively recreation as well as a safe haven in times of disaster.
