Recommended Walking Route around Tachikawa Station to Enjoy Autumn Scenery with Children

Do you know Tachikawa City in Tokyo prefecture? It’s a major city in Tama district that occupies most of the western part of Tokyo. At one of Tachikawa’s popular sightseeing spots “Showa Memorial Park,” the best time for seeing the autumn leaves is from mid-October to late-November every year. Its fall scenery that colors the site 39 times larger than Tokyo Dome is a hot topic on social media. This time, we’re going to introduce a walking route whose starting point is the park for those who have children.

Don’t miss seeing two types of rows of ginkgo trees! －”Showa Memorial Park” with about 20 kinds of playground equipment

Opened in 1983, “Showa Memorial Park （昭和記念公園)” consists of about 30 areas. Since it’s a vast park, it might be a good idea to rent a bicycle and explore there. At ‘Kodomo no Mori (Children Forest, こどもの森), there are approximately 20 kinds of playground equipment that make even adults want to experience, such as large trampolines allowing us to feel as if we’re jumping on clouds and Japan’s biggest hammock. In addition, as we introduced at the beginning, don’t forget to enjoy autumn leaves with children! Especially, 2 types of rows of ginkgo trees are must-see. One is ‘Katarai no Icho Namiki (かたらいのイチョウ並木)’ where ginkgo tunnels and carpets spread over a total length of 300 meters. The other is ‘Canal Icho Namiki (カナールイチョウ並木) where 106 ginkgo trees stand on both sides of a waterway and fountain and create an exotic scenery. The former is lit up until 29th November.

Opening Hours	1st November to Last day in February 9:30AM – 4:30PM *Lighting Time 4:30PM – 9:00PM (Until 29th November in 2020) *Please check Opening Hours on the official website because it vary depending on seasons and areas.
Address	3173 Midori-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 10-minute walk from JR Tachikawa Station
URL	https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/guide-english/schedule-english/

The admission is free! －”Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Center” to learn disaster prevention through activities

Next, let’s head to “Tachikawa Life Safety Learning Center (立川防災館)”! It’s a hands-on learning facility where we can learn about disasters and what to do in case of emergency through exhibitions and videos, playground equipment, games and so on. Our recommendation is ‘Experience Corner’ where an instructor guides us. There are 7 types of contents including ‘Earthquake Simulation Room’ allowing us to experience a magnitude 7 earthquake and ‘Fire Fighting Training Room,’ ‘Rescue Section,’ ‘VR Disaster Section,’ etc. Your tension will rise because of their realistic production. What you experience in this facility should give you a valuable opportunity to discuss how to act at a time of disaster.

Opening Hours	9:00AM – 5:00PM Closed on Thursday, the 3rd Friday and from 28th December to 4th January *If a closed date is a public holiday, it’s closed next date.
Address	1156-1 Izumi-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	A 2-minute walk from Tachikawa Shobosho Bus Stop where it takes 7 minutes by bus from Tachikawa North Exit
URL	https://tokyo-bskan.jp/en/bskan/tachikawa/

Savor healthy dishes with sitting on bed mattresses －”Wa-Cafe yusoshi chano-ma Tachikawa”

Reference from Tabelog “和カフェ yusoshi chano-ma 立川“

After exercising a lot, why not have a relaxing time at “Wa-Cafe yusoshi chano-ma Tachikawa (和カフェ yusoshi chano-ma 立川)”? In this cafe mainly using white color, stylish interiors such as chandelier lighting and wall paintings create simple but elegant space. Their concept is ‘modern-style living room,’ and there are not only table seats but also mattress seats where we can take off shoes and relax. It’s available to lay your baby down here, so you don’t have to have your meal while hugging. Besides, they offer a great variety of dishes, desserts and drinks. We recommend that you order a set meal with dishes easy on the body. The main dish you can choose, rice mixing brown one and black one, pork miso soup, side dish, and pickles are included in the set. By the way, rice and pork miso soup can be refilled for free.

Opening Hours	11:00AM – 10:00PM
Address	LUMINE Tachikawa 8F, 2-1-1 Akebono-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo Prefecture
Access	Directly connected to JR Tachikawa Station
URL	https://www.dd-holdings.jp/shops/chanoma/tachikawa#/