Tokyo · Shibuya and Harajuku
Yoyogi Park
The land of Yoyogi Park was a drill ground of the Japanese army until the end of World War II, and even the site of the first flight in Japan in 1910. After the war the American army took it over as a residential area called Washington Heights, and in 1964 part of the land served as the Olympic Village of the Tokyo Olympics. The park opened in its current form in 1967.
Its 54 hectares make it the fourth largest of the urban parks in the 23 wards of Tokyo. An open lawn for picnics, yellow ginkgo trees in November, and one of the main hanami spots in spring. One wooden house from the Washington Heights period is preserved inside the park, and it served as housing for Dutch athletes at the 1964 Olympics.
Good to know
- On Sundays rockabilly groups dance near the main entrance, a tradition that has lasted for decades.
- Large food and culture events take place in the park almost every weekend, mainly between spring and autumn. It is worth checking the events calendar before you plan a quiet picnic.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Yoyogi Park.
- HereYoyogi Park
- ~5 min
Little Nap Coffee Stand Cafe
A small coffee stand right next to the park, popular with runners and dog walkers. Closed on Mondays.
- ~5 min
Yoyogi National Gymnasium More to see
A suspended-roof structure from 1964 designed by Kenzo Tange, built for the Tokyo Olympics and recognized as an Important Cultural Property. You can see it from outside at any hour, and it is closed to the public except for events.
- ~10 min
Fuglen Tokyo Tomigaya Cafe
The first branch outside Norway of the Fuglen coffee chain, from 2012, with original Nordic vintage furniture from the 40s to the 70s, for sale. Coffee by day, cocktails by night.
- ~12 min
Camelback Sandwich & Espresso Food
A former sushi chef makes a fluffy omelet sandwich here in soft koppe bread, about ¥400 to ¥450. A small shop in a Kamiyama-cho alley.
- ~15 min
Yoyogi Hachimangu More to see
A quiet Shinto shrine on a hill, and in its grounds a settlement site from the Jomon period, about 4,500 years old, that was discovered by chance, with a reconstructed pit dwelling.