Tokyo · Mitaka and Kichijoji

Inokashira Park

Inokashira Park (井の頭恩賜公園) opened on 1 May 1917, and according to the Tokyo government it was the first suburban park in Japan. At its center is Inokashira Pond, whose water once fed the first aqueduct of Edo and from which the Kanda River flows today. The park stretches between the city of Musashino and the city of Mitaka, and entry is free.

On the edge of the pond stands the Inokashira Benzaiten shrine (Daisei-ji temple), and the park's famous urban legend rests on it: a couple who row a boat here together will break up. It is a legend and not a tradition of the shrine, and locals row here anyway.

Around the pond there are shaded paths. In the western part of the park is the Ghibli Museum, and in another part is the Inokashira Park Zoo (井の頭自然文化園). In spring the cherry trees around the pond blossom, and the park fills with visitors who come to picnic under them.

Good to know

Inokashira-koen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line is a minute from the pond, and it is the best shortcut if you come from Shibuya.
The Inokashira Park Zoo is closed on Mondays (and if Monday is a holiday, on Tuesday). It is open 9:30 to 17:00, last entry at 16:00.
It is worth crossing the park on foot to or from the Ghibli Museum, as part of the same day, rather than coming to it separately.
On 1 October, Tokyo Citizens' Day, entry to the zoo is free.

1 of 3

Photo: Htanaungg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Entry: Entry to the park is free. Boats, for 30 minutes: rowboat 800 yen (up to three adults), pedal boat 1,000 yen, swan boat 1,000 yen (two adults and a child). The zoo: 400 yen for an adult, 200 yen from age 65, 150 yen for junior high, free until the end of primary school.
Hours: The park is open all year, at any hour. The boats: in October and March 9:30 to 17:20, last boarding 16:20; from November to February 9:30 to 16:50, last boarding 15:50; from April to September 10:00 to 17:50, last boarding 16:50. From December to February there are no boats on Wednesdays.
Time needed: 1 hour
Best time: A weekday morning. In cherry blossom season and in autumn leaves season, on weekends the paths are crowded and the line for the boats is long.
Station: Kichijoji, JR Chuo Line and Keio Inokashira Line, Park Exit (公園口), 5 min walk

Checked October 2026

Open in Maps Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Source 6 Source 7 Source 8

What is nearby

Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Inokashira Park.

Here
Inokashira Park
~2 min
Iseya Koen-ten Food
A yakitori restaurant that opened in 1960 at the entrance to Inokashira Park and was rebuilt in 2013. A single skewer 100 yen, four mixed skewers 400 yen, and homemade shumai 390 yen. 350 seats on three floors.
12:00 to 22:00 (last order 21:00). Closed on Mondays.Maps Source
~2 min
SUNDAY VEGAN Cafe
A vegan bakery near Inokashira Park that opened as a shop in 2023: mainly donuts, plus pastries and pantry goods, all from plant ingredients. Vegan, not kosher.
8:00 to 17:00, irregular closing days.Maps Source
~6 min
Kichijoji Satou (Genso Maru Menchi Katsu) Food
A butcher shop from 1974 that sells round menchi-katsu of Japanese beef and onion, fried on the spot. 350 yen each, and from 5 pieces 330 yen each. Cash only.
¥350 · ≈ $210:00 to 19:30, until sold out. The menchi-katsu is sold from 10:30. Closed only at the start of the year.Maps Source
~6 min
Ozasa Shopping
A tiny Japanese sweets shop at the same address as Satou. It sells monaka, a rice wafer filled with bean paste, in red and white versions, and yokan, a bean jelly sold only at the shop itself.
Currently 10:00 to 18:30 (usually until 19:30). Closed on Tuesdays. Open on 3.11.2026 and closed on 4.11.2026.Maps Source
~7 min
Kichijoji Nakamichi-dori Street
A brick-paved shopping street about 540 meters long, west of the station, with small shops, cafes and clothing stores, and two neighborhood parks at its end.
Hours vary by shop.Maps Source
~8 min
Kichijoji Loft Shopping
A department store of stationery, homeware and gifts on five floors. On floor 4 a washi paper shop, and on floor 5 Muji. Tax-free counter on floors 1 to 4.
10:30 to 20:00. Floor 5 until 21:00.Maps Source

More in Mitaka and Kichijoji

Appears in: Ghibli Museum, Kichijoji and Shimokitazawa: the calm west side

Full page for Inokashira Park