A Perfect Day in Tokyo 11/2020

^{Stroll around Tachikawa to savor the fall colors}
Showa Kinen Park and Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Center
(Tachikawa City and Akishima City)

Gingko trees lining the canal.
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One of the things you can enjoy in autumn is the coloring of the leaves. Feel pleasantly close to nature as you take in the sight of trees turning red and yellow. Located about 10 minutes from JR Tachikawa Station by foot, Showa Kinen Park is also easily accessible from central Tokyo. Here you can enjoy seasonal flowers and a rich natural environment year round. The park was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reign of the late Showa Emperor.
Straddling Tachikawa City and Akishima City, Showa Kinen Park is so large that you may find it difficult to see everything in just one day. There’s the Open Field, which seems to extend forever, the Waterfowl Lake, where visitors can enjoy boat pedaling and rowing, and a variety of dining spots including restaurants and food stalls.
Among all the attractions of the park, the most recommended one for the season is the Canal found just after entering the park from the Tachikawa Gate. Canal is a technical term used in landscape design to describe a corridor of still water. The 200-meter canal flanked by rows of gingko trees and with a large fountain in the background makes a truly picturesque landscape. Other recommended sights for the autumn leaves in the park are Gingko Tree Avenue in the western part of the park and the Japanese Garden in the park’s northern section. They will be lit up from November 3rd to 29th. This will be a good chance to enjoy a fantastic scene that differs from the daytime.
Why not also take a little side trip to the Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Center which is within walking distance of the park? Here you can have a fun time learning what to do in the event of disasters through hands-on experiences. The center has various equipment and facilities that will completely change your awareness about disaster response, such as 3D virtual reality goggles to experience earthquakes, floods and other disasters, and a corner for simulated searches for survivors in a collapsed building.
Why not take a stroll that offers plenty of sights to see while sensing the deepening of autumn?

Learning how to use a fire extinguisher at the fire-fighting corner

[Showa Kinen Park]Phone 042-528-1751（Assistance available only in Japanese.）
Open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (between November and February)
Closed on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, the fourth Monday and the following day in January.
Adults: 450 yen; seniors aged 65 and over: 210 yen
*Gingko Tree Avenue and Japanese Garden will be lit up between 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. during the light-up period (during these hours, only the Nishi-Tachikawa Gate will be opened to enter and exit the park)

[Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Center]Phone 042-521-1119 Open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (4:30 p.m. during the period when coronavirus measures are in place) Closed on Thursdays, third Fridays and the year-end and New Year holidays. Take the bus from Bus Stop 1 at JR Tachikawa Station’s north exit, and alight at Tachikawa Fire Station.

※This article is also available in other languages. （日本語/中文/한국어）