Tokyo in Showa era splendor, a carnival of blooming flowers that captivates the senses

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network Editorial Team
 

As Japan’s cherry blossom season comes to a close, the warm spring days bring a vibrant display of diverse flowers at Tokyo’s Showa Memorial Park. April and May are the best months to enjoy the park’s most abundant blooms, when the entire park is painted in a riot of colors, bustling like a flower-filled carnival.

Showa Memorial Park is located in Tachikawa and Akishima cities in Tokyo Metropolis. Established in 1983 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign on the site of former U.S. military facilities in postwar Japan, the vast park spans 165 hectares. It’s just a 30-minute express train ride from Shinjuku Station.

With different flowers to admire year-round, the park offers a 360-degree kaleidoscope of blooms in spring and summer, including peonies, azaleas, tulips, wisteria, poppies, and nemophila... In addition to the captivating spring cherry blossoms and autumn ginkgo avenues, the park also boasts well-developed facilities for cycling, boating, and outdoor barbecues. Furthermore, it hosts a variety of events such as annual flower expos, making it the largest recreational space in the Greater Tokyo Area.