Visit the Largest Flower Park in West Tokyo

Posted on 04/07/2023 Last updated on 01/11/2024

If you want to immerse yourself in the beauty of seasonal flowers, fall foliage, and nature, Showa Memorial Park (Showa Kinen Koen) is a wonderful place to visit.

Showa Memorial Park is a national park located in Tachikawa City, the suburb of Tokyo. This huge park, spanning over 170 hectares, has a variety of natural spaces, such as spacious lawns, flower fields, ponds, Japanese garden with a bonsai museum, cycling tracks and other leisure facilities.

Best spots for viewing seasonal flowers

You might know that flower viewing is a time-honored tradition in Japan. Various kinds of seasonal flowers can be enjoyed at this park. Every year in spring, this park attracts many visitors to see its breathtaking flower fields and gardens, especially cherry blossoms, tulips, rapeseed flowers, azalea, poppies and sunflowers.

As there are about 1,500 trees of 30 kinds of cherry blossoms in the park, it is a popular place for cherry blossoms viewing in Tokyo. The best spot to view cherry blossoms is the park’s “Cherry Blossom Garden” in the north part of the open field. Tulips and rapeseed flowers start flourishing following cherry blossoms. A number of tulips of different shapes and colors decorate the “Serpentine Area” beautifully.

In spring, poppies are also abundant in the park. The “Flower Hill” in the park’s northeast corner, entirely covered with beautiful poppies, is the best spot. It is also interesting to join the free “Poppy Picking Experience” on the last day of its spring flower festival. In summer, you can see hydrangeas and sunflowers; and in fall, cosmoses of various colors bloom in abundance from pink and purple ones to rare yellow ones. Even in winter, you can see camellias and plum blossoms.

Best spots for viewing fall foliage

Every year in fall, visitors also flock to see its fall foliage. The best spots for viewing fall colors are the “Ginkgo Tree Avenue” near the park’s main entrance, and the “Japanese Garden” with a large pond surrounded by plenty of maple trees.