Guest post by Summeet Kaur Seyan – fellow Tokyo resident and one of the authors of London Odyssey ( she runs the blog with her husband, Deep.) More information about Summeet, and how to find more of her work, at the bottom of this post.
When we moved to Tokyo over a year ago from London, we were struck by the extensive urban sprawl and the seeming lack of green space. Once we unpeeled this, we realised how much nature there is to be seen and experienced here, especially with children.
We started to find playgrounds of all variety and sizes, traditional stroll gardens, and parks that reminded us of our London home. Although,we still longed for a peaceful place to pause in the city and make sure our walking boots were not gathering dust.
In one of our travel guidebooks we saw a small mention of a nature park in Shirokanedai, near Meguro station so at the peak of autumn we decided to finally check it out. Off a busy and unassuming Tokyo road with the Shuto Expressway overhead, you would never know a forested nature reserve awaits.
The Institute for Nature Study is a 50 acre reserve which has meadows, ponds, forest and a wetland area. It is rich with a variety of plants and birds. The grounds were once part of a feudal lord’s (daimyo) estate in the Edo Period. Our children were delighted to be surrounded by so much nature, running down the paths and through the forested area feels like such a great adventure. We immediately forgot we were off a busy Tokyo road and felt a sense of peace wash over us. It is worth visiting at different times of the year, we visited in autumn and early spring and look forward to spending summer days there as the shaded forest provides a nice relief while children let off steam.
As most places in Japan it is set up so well for families. As you enter there is an information center which has a small interactive bird display, photographs, literature and some computers to learn more about the reserve’s inhabitants. The information center also has bathrooms, a baby change, vending machines, gift shope and a stroller parking area outside. Strollers are fine on the paths, apart from the pond area where it may be easier to park on the path as you explore the ponds and bridge. There are picnic tables dotted around and also outside of the information centre with trash cans. So pack your lunch and enjoy the bird song.
This has certainly become our favourite escape from the city within the city!
THE INSTITUTE FOR NATURE STUDY
港区白金台5-21-5
5-21-5 SHIROKANEDAI, MINATO-KU
OPEN SEPT 1- APR 30 : 9AM-4:30PM (LAST ENTRY 4PM)
OPEN MAY 1-AUG 31: 9AM-5PM (LAST ENTRY 4PM)
ADMISSION (FOR ADULTS) 310YEN
WEBSITE
*Small side note: Please be sure to pack mosquito repellant (although the centre does offer some complementary spray upon entry.)
ABOUT OUR GUEST BLOGGER:
Summeet Kaur Seyan is a Mum of two was raised in North America.
She then relocated to London with her husband, Deep, and now is always on the hunt for new hikes and picnic spots in Tokyo and beyond.
Summeet and her husband are documenting their world adventures with photographs, words and illustrated walking maps over at www.mylondonodyssey.wordpress.com http://www.facebook.com/LondonOdyssey/
https://www.instagram.com/londonodyssey/ (@londonodyssey)
A teeny message from The Tokyo Chapter
If you enjoyed information on this little green oasis in Tokyo, I think you would like visiting the small Japanese garden Happo-en – only a few minutes walk away. I talk all about this little spot in my post on ‘A more traditional Japan without leaving Tokyo’ post here.
This natural spot is also not far from the Meguro area so you may be like to see my post here on other ideas of things to do before or afterwards.
Would you also like to guest post for The Tokyo Chapter? Please send me an email at contactjoatthetokyochapter@gmail.com
