Inokashira Park (井の頭公園) is a lesser known but breathtaking park in the western outskirts of Tokyo (東京). It lies in the district of Kichijoji (吉祥寺) which residents chose as one of the best places to live in all of Tokyo.
People say Inokashira Park is a great place for a date which I can confirm! Coming here will bring great joy to you and your partner.
The park ranks quite highly among the best places to view Cherry blossoms in Tokyo. The large pond in the park’s center is surrounded by cherry trees on every side which create a beautiful scenery during the season.
Even before entering the park, coming from Kichijoji Station, it is a blast. You walk along a street full of restaurants, be that Yakitori (焼き鳥) or Italian, and you can even find a store where you can eat German Wurst! Now if that doesn’t sell it to you I don’t know what will.
There is also a vending machine where you can get cooled strawberry milk on this street! This might not seem like a big deal to you but in all three trips I’ve made to Japan (日本) so far, I have only seen this drink available in like 4 or 5 vending machines total. And there are A LOT of vending machines in Japan.
Since then I have made it a mission to buy a strawberry milk whenever I locate one.
Okay, back to the topic at hand.
Activities in and around Inokashira Park
Besides taking a stroll around the large pond in the middle, you can also get on one of these cute swan boats or a more normal boat and float along the pond. Very near the pond there is Inokashira Park Zoo where all kinds of animal species are to be met. It’s not the biggest one by far but a cute little attraction nonetheless.
If you go farther south of the park you will arrive at something probably many of you know and appreciate: The famous Ghibli Museum! It’s right in the middle of the park surrounded by the greenery.
I’m sure many of you will want to visit the museum (for which you need to book tickets in advance) which is the perfect opportunity to check out the park and Kichijoji as well!
To book your tickets, I recommend checking out Voyagin. They offer Ghibli Museum tickets year-round and will guide you through the process!
How to get to Inokashira Park
From Tokyo Station:
Take the Chuo Line (orange) for 29 minutes and 390 Yen () and get off at Kichijoji Station. No transfer necessary (amazing!).
From Shinjuku Station:
You can board the same Chuo Line mentioned above for 15 minutes and 220 Yen (1,72€/$1.96)!
From Kichijoji Station, it’s about an 8-10 minutes-walk to Inokashira Park, and a pleasant one at that!
The Ghibli Museum is a little farther south, about 15-20 minutes of walking.
Takeaway
Inokashira Park is a very fun place to visit and will always have a special meaning to me personally. I think it can grant you similar experiences as well!
Some of you will most likely come here for the Ghibli Museum anyway so visiting the park before or after is a given!
And after you’re done, grab a bite at one of the many nearby restaurants that serve top-notch food.
It might be located a little out of the way but I recommend checking out the quieter (still busy though) areas of Tokyo if you have the time to do so.
That’s it for Inokashira Park, thank you very much for reading!
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Stay tuned for my next post which is going to be about the famous Shogun residence Nijo Castle (二条城) in Kyoto (京都)!
See you there!
