Showa Memorial Park with Kids: A Family Guide for 2026

Is Showa Memorial Park Good for Kids?

Yes. Showa Memorial Park is one of the best places near Tokyo for children who need space to run. Entry is free up to junior high school age, it has one of the biggest playgrounds in the Tokyo area, a car-free cycling course, rowing boats and lawns big enough to lose sight of the edges.

It is calm compared with central Tokyo, and you can bring your own lunch.

The park is a national government park, opened in 1983 on the site of the former US military airfield at Tachikawa to mark 50 years of Emperor Showa's reign. At 180 hectares, it is roughly the size of Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen and Yoyogi Park put together, so plan your day around one or two areas rather than trying to see everything on foot.

It suits families with children from toddlers to about 12, and it works best as a full day or a long morning. If your children are older and want shops and anime, central Tokyo will hold their attention better.

See things to do in Tokyo with kids for ideas by age.

Tickets, Opening Hours and Closing Days

Showa Memorial Park charges a small entry fee, and children up to the end of junior high school get in free. You pay at the gate.

There is no need to book. Some cashless payments are accepted for entry, but the park train, boats and lockers are cash only.

Ticket	1 day	2-day pass	Annual pass
Adults (high school age and over)	¥450	¥500	¥4,500
Aged 65 and over	¥210	¥250	¥2,100
Junior high school age and under	Free	Free	Free

You can leave and come back on the same day. Ask the gate staff for a re-entry ticket on the way out.

Opening hours

• March to October. 9:30 to 17:00
• Weekends and holidays, April to September. 9:30 to 18:00
• November to February. 9:30 to 16:30

Closed days. The park closes on 31 December and 1 January, and from the third Monday to the Friday of that week in January. The park can also close for storms. Check the notices on the official site.

Free entry days in 2026. Entry is free on 24 and 25 October (the autumn greening days). Parking is still charged on free days, and they are busy.

How to Get to Showa Memorial Park and Which Gate to Use

Take the JR Chuo Line west to Tachikawa, about 30 minutes from Shinjuku on a rapid train and under an hour from Tokyo Station. The park is so large that choosing the right gate saves a long walk.

Gate	From the station	Best for
Nishi-Tachikawa Gate	2 min from Nishi-Tachikawa Station (JR Ome Line), Park Exit	Lake, boats, ginkgo avenue, Wanpaku play area
Tachikawa Gate	18 min from JR Tachikawa North Exit, 16 min from Tachikawa-Kita (Tama Monorail)	The canal, flower gardens near the entrance
Sunagawa Gate	Bus from Tachikawa North Exit (about 13 min) or 20 min from Musashi-Sunagawa (Seibu)	Children's Forest, Japanese Garden, Flower Hill
Akebono Gate	10 min from JR Tachikawa North Exit	The free area only

With children, I would use Nishi-Tachikawa Gate. It is two minutes from the station and puts you near the boats, the bike rental and the Wanpaku play area.

Nishi-Tachikawa is one stop from Tachikawa on the Ome Line, and some Chuo Line trains run straight through. The Children's Forest is about 25 minutes on foot from this gate, or a short ride on a rental bike.

By car, there are car parks at the Tachikawa, Nishi-Tachikawa and Sunagawa gates (¥900 a day for a car). They fill up on spring and autumn weekends and cannot be reserved.

The Children's Forest and Other Play Areas

The Children's Forest (Kodomo no Mori) is the reason to come with kids. It is a big, wooded adventure playground in the north of the park, and children can easily spend two or three hours there.

What is in the Children's Forest

1. Cloud Sea (the bouncy dome). This giant white inflatable dome is for jumping on. It is open to children of junior high age and under (parents of small children can go on with them), shoes off, no bags or cameras. Morning dew or frost can keep it closed for the first part of the day.
2. Rainbow Hammock. This huge net hammock, billed as the largest in Japan, is for children of primary school age and under.
3. Roller slides. Two long slides with rollers curve through the trees.
4. Fog Forest. White mist fills the trees for 15 minutes from every hour and half hour, 10:00 to 15:00. It is switched off from December to February.
5. Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon Hill. Long stairs and a hill lead up to a view over the whole forest.
6. Dragon Sand Hills. Four large dragon sculptures stand in a sand area. Children can no longer climb on them, but they can still dig and play in the sand around them.
7. Wood Workshop. Children can make things from wood and bamboo. Tools and materials are lent at the workshop or the Forest House.

The Children's Forest is open from 9:30 until 30 minutes before the park closes (the bouncy dome until 45 minutes before). The Forest House is the information centre, with staff, a first-aid room and a baby room, and there is a snack shop.

Lost-child name tags are available here and at the gates. Write your phone number on one.

It is about 23 minutes on foot from Sunagawa Gate and 25 minutes from Nishi-Tachikawa Gate. From Tachikawa Gate it is 35 minutes, which is a long walk for small legs before the fun starts.

Wanpaku Yugu (the smaller play area)

If your children are toddlers, or you do not want to walk to the far end of the park, Wanpaku Yugu next to the big central lawn has a smaller bouncy dome, a roller slide, swings and climbing frames on soft rubber ground. It is about 13 minutes from Nishi-Tachikawa Gate.

Minna no Harappa (the big lawn)

The central lawn is a huge stretch of open grass in the middle of the park. Bring a picnic sheet, a ball or a kite.

Picnic lunches are allowed anywhere on the lawns.

Bike Rental, the Park Train and Boats

The easiest way to cover the park with children is by bike. A 14 km cycling course, closed to cars and walkers, loops through the park, and rental bikes include children's sizes and bikes with child seats.

Bike	First 3 hours	After that
Adult bike	¥600	¥100 per 30 min
Junior high age and under	¥350	¥50 per 30 min
Cross bike	¥800	¥100 per 30 min
Tandem (riders 140 cm and over)	¥1,500	¥200 per 30 min

• Children's bikes come in 18- and 20-inch sizes. Bikes with child seats take a child up to 15 kg on the front seat or 21 kg on the back.
• Bikes with training wheels, balance bikes and scooters are not allowed on the course, and the course is not a place to learn to ride.
• You rent and return at the cycle centres at Tachikawa, Nishi-Tachikawa and Sunagawa gates, from 9:30 until an hour before closing. Return the bike to the same centre 30 minutes before closing.
• Staff can look after your stroller while you ride.

The park train is a road train that loops the park in 50 to 60 minutes. A single ride costs ¥400 for adults and ¥200 for children aged 4 to junior high school.

It is cash only, strollers must be folded, and the route changes by the day.

Boats are rented on Waterfowl Lake near Nishi-Tachikawa Gate. A rowing boat for three is ¥800 for 60 minutes, and a pedal boat for two is ¥800 for 30 minutes.

From December to early March the boathouse opens on weekends and holidays only.

What to See by Season

Something is in flower or in colour most of the year, and the park plants on a big scale. The flower fields change from year to year, so check the official flower page for the week you visit.

Season	What to see	Where
Late March to early April	About 1,500 cherry trees	Sakura no Sono, by the central lawn
April	Tulips along a 700 m stream	Keiryu Hiroba (Stream Plaza)
Late April to May	Poppies	Flower Hill
September to October	Cosmos and kochia	Flower Hill, the lawn flower fields
Mid to late November	Ginkgo avenues turn gold	The canal and Katarai no Ichou Namiki
November	Red maples	The Japanese Garden

Spring cherry blossoms and tulips

The cherry grove next to the central lawn has trees over 50 years old with branches that hang down to the eye level of someone sitting on the grass, which makes it one of the easier places near Tokyo for a family cherry blossom picnic. The tulip garden along the stream was designed with the help of a former director of Keukenhof in the Netherlands.

Summer shade and lawns, with no pool

The Rainbow Pool and the water play area have closed permanently. Many guides still recommend them, so ignore anything that tells you to bring swimsuits.

The area is being redeveloped into a new waterside space, with no opening date announced. In July and August the park is hot and exposed.

Go early, stay in the Children's Forest under the trees, and leave by early afternoon.

Autumn ginkgo and the Autumn Night Walk

Autumn is the park's best season. In 2026, Flower Hill was planted with about 4 million yellow cosmos, in flower from mid-September to early October, and other cosmos fields bloom through October.

Then the ginkgo trees turn. The canal by Tachikawa Gate has 106 ginkgo trees along a 200 m waterway with fountains, and Katarai no Ichou Namiki, 7 minutes from Nishi-Tachikawa Gate, is a 300 m tunnel of 98 ginkgo trees that turns gold in mid to late November.

The Autumn Night Walk 2026 runs from 29 October to 29 November, with lights from 16:30 to 20:30 (the park closes at 21:00). The ginkgo avenue and the canal are included in the normal entry ticket.

The lit Japanese Garden needs an extra ticket after 16:30, sold online from a week before. At night you can only enter and leave by Nishi-Tachikawa and Tachikawa gates.

For the best-known ginkgo avenue in central Tokyo, see our guide to Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue.

Quiet winter lawns and evening lights

Winter is the quietest time. The park closes at 16:30, the fog in the Children's Forest is switched off, and the boathouse opens on weekends only.

The park has held evening illuminations in past winters. Check the events page for the current year.

Strollers, Baby Rooms and Food

Showa Memorial Park is well set up for babies and toddlers.

• Free stroller loan is available at Tachikawa Gate (12), Nishi-Tachikawa Gate (15) and Sunagawa Gate (8), first come, first served. Return it to the gate you borrowed it from.
• Seven baby rooms have hot water for formula, including the ones at the Forest House in the Children's Forest and at the main gates. There is no microwave for baby food. The main toilets have baby beds and baby seats.
• Nappies are sold at six shops, including the Children's Forest shop.
• Food. You can bring your own lunch and eat it on the lawns, but not inside the restaurants or in the Japanese Garden. There are restaurants and kiosks around the park, and a barbecue garden that needs booking.
• Lockers at the gates and cycle centres start from ¥100.

Our private Tokyo tour with kids plans a day like this around naps, lunch and the right gate.

A Simple Day Plan with Children

Arrive at Nishi-Tachikawa Gate at 9:30, borrow a stroller if you need one, and rent bikes at the cycle centre next to the gate. Ride to the Children's Forest while it is quiet and let the children play until lunch.

Have a picnic on the central lawn, then stop at Wanpaku Yugu or take a rowing boat on Waterfowl Lake on the way back. In November, finish at the ginkgo avenue near the gate.

On a day without bikes, start at Sunagawa Gate instead, which is the closest to the Children's Forest, and leave the same way.

If your family likes mountains too, Mount Takao is also on the western edge of Tokyo, and the two make a good pair for a trip out of the centre on different days. For something closer in, Ueno Zoo is free for primary-age children.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Showa Memorial Park for kids?

Entry is free for children up to the end of junior high school. Adults pay ¥450 and people aged 65 and over pay ¥210. Rental bikes, the park train and boats cost extra.

Which gate is best for the Children's Forest?

Sunagawa Gate is the closest, about 23 minutes on foot. Nishi-Tachikawa Gate, 2 minutes from Nishi-Tachikawa Station, is about 25 minutes away and is easier to reach by train. Tachikawa Gate is the farthest, at 35 minutes.

Is the Rainbow Pool still open?

No. The Rainbow Pool and the water play area have closed permanently because the facilities were old and the area is being redeveloped. No opening date has been announced for the new waterside area.

Can you rent bikes for children at Showa Memorial Park?

Yes. Children's bikes (18 and 20 inch) and bikes with child seats are rented at three cycle centres. Junior high age and under pay ¥350 for 3 hours. Bikes with training wheels are not allowed on the course.

When are the autumn leaves at Showa Memorial Park?

The ginkgo avenues turn gold in mid to late November, and the maples in the Japanese Garden from early to late November. The Autumn Night Walk light-up runs from 29 October to 29 November 2026.

How long do you need at Showa Memorial Park?

Allow half a day for the Children's Forest alone, or a full day if you add bikes, boats and a picnic. The park is too big to see on foot in one visit.

Sources

https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/price/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/schedule/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/access/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/child/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/facility/facility-440/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/facility/facility-726/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/facility/facility-615/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/autumn-night-walk/
https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/about-park/