Tachikawa City – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:00:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 Tachikawa City – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring https://soranews24.com/2026/03/28/picturesque-tokyo-park-plays-host-to-millions-of-flowers-and-soap-bubbles-this-spring/ https://soranews24.com/2026/03/28/picturesque-tokyo-park-plays-host-to-millions-of-flowers-and-soap-bubbles-this-spring/#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:00:16 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=729760 
Rapeseed, tulips, nemophila, and over a million poppies line up for a floral relay.
If you spend any time in Tokyo in the spring, you may be greeted by the sight of a flood of people competing for selfies with a single cherry blossom branch in famous parks like Ueno Park, or swept up by the stream of tourists walking alongside Meguro River as they admire the pale pink canopy of sakura blossoms. The classic spots are popular for a reason, I mean they are stunning, but if you’re like me and prefer to enjoy springtime while actually being able to breathe, you may want to head west to Showa Kinen Park.
Located just a short train ride on the JR Chuo, Nambu or Ome Lines from central Tokyo in Tachikawa, this park is built on a former airfield, which means it has a considerable amount of space. Starting March 26 and running through to May 24, the garden welcomes the arrival of the Flower Festival 2026, where spring flowers are set to bloom and reach their peak in a relay-like succession.
Stunningly gorgeous as they may be, cherry blossoms are notoriously fickle, and if you don’t time your visit perfectly, you’ll easily miss them at the height of their beauty. However, for the Flower Festival, the party will continue throughout spring.
If you head there right now, you’ll likely catch the tail end of the blooming period for the approximately 250,000 rapeseed blossoms.
▼ Blooming: Late February–Mid-April
As of writing this article, the 1,500 sakura trees are currently in bloom, though there’s no telling when the trees will bid farewell to their pink adornments, so make your move now if you want to catch them.
▼ Blooming: Late March–Mid-April
If the cherry blossoms have already done their thing, you’ll still be in perfect time for the Tulip Garden, where you’ll find 250,000 bulbs in 260 varieties.
▼ Blooming: Early April–Mid-April
Following that, the fields turn into a blue sea of nemophila.
▼ Blooming: Mid-April–Mid-May
At the same time, you can enjoy the cute collection of colorful flowers in the Bouquet Garden.
▼ Blooming: Mid-April–Late May
Until eventually the hills turn into a vibrant red carpet of about 1.8 million Shirley Poppies.
▼ Blooming: Early May–Late May
So, no matter when your visit takes place this spring, even if you didn’t quite get to see the flowers you were hoping for, there’ll still be a display for you that will feel like this was the main event you were here to see.
However, what would a “festival” be without some extra attractions?
Twice a day on April 2, April 25, and May 16, the park releases thousands of soap bubbles over the flower fields to create a fantastical landscape.
Photo-worthy spots will also be set up in each flower field according to the peak blooming period. Past examples have included: train tracks, doors, swings, benches, and a mini house.
There are also a couple more photography events. The first being that entry to the Tulip Garden will be restricted for 30 minutes from opening on April 4 (9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.), allowing photography of the empty garden from the outside. While unfortunately already fully booked, on April 3, April 5 and April 22, a limited 100 people can enter the park before opening, from 7:30 a.m., to enjoy photography in the park with fewer people, although advance reservation and a fee of 3,000 yen (US$18.80) is required.
The food options can’t be forgotten either, with recommendations including donuts and coffees, ground pork cutlets, and shrimp and avocado bagels.
▼ Spring Picnic Box Set (1,900 yen)
▼ Menchi-katsu Spring Holiday Bento (1,100 yen)
▼ Shrimp and Avocado Salad Spring Vegetable Bagel Sandwich with Italian vegetable fritters (900 yen)
With an entrance fee of just 450 yen for adults and a host of other events, like an outdoor concert by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band and Children’s Day events for all ages, Showa Kinen Park is a great value-for-money experience. So, if you’re tired of the concrete jungle and want to dive into a field of flowers, it is well worth a visit this spring, just be aware that in 2026, flowers have a higher possibility of blooming earlier than usual.
Location information
Kokuei Showa Kinen Koen / 国営昭和記念公園
Address: Tokyo-to, Tachikawa-shi, Midori-cho 3173
東京都 立川市緑町 3173
Open: 9:30 a.m–5:00 p.m. (paid area), 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (on weekends and holidays in April and May), 8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (free area)
Website
Related: Showa Kinen Park Instagram
Source and images: PR Times
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
]]> https://soranews24.com/2026/03/28/picturesque-tokyo-park-plays-host-to-millions-of-flowers-and-soap-bubbles-this-spring/feed/ 0 729760 sub3_a69335 Squish, pop, and roll your way through Tokyo’s new ginormous bubble-wrap play park https://soranews24.com/2021/09/17/squish-pop-and-roll-your-way-through-tokyos-new-ginormous-bubble-wrap-play-park/ https://soranews24.com/2021/09/17/squish-pop-and-roll-your-way-through-tokyos-new-ginormous-bubble-wrap-play-park/#comments Fri, 17 Sep 2021 01:00:11 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=556708 
What’s better than popping bubble wrap? A whole room of oversized bubble wrap.
As much as people like to joke about how similar having children is to having pets, obviously, they’re drastically different in many ways. Obviously. But there is one similarity that I’ve noticed, in my experience—no matter how much you spend on an incredible gift for your darling angel, nine times out of ten they will be much more fascinated with the packaging.
I, for one, whiled away many a merry day popping bubble wrap until my thumbs ached. If I’d only known about the pop-tacular paradise that would be unveiled in 2021!
The park, named Let’s Play! Puti Puti, will be installed in Tachikawa City in Tokyo inside a large indoor open space called Play! Park, part of the Play! Museum and Park. Play! Park contains seven indoor spaces but doesn’t install any permanent play sets or equipment. Instead, they work alongside architects and engineers to create experiences like this one. Let’s Play! Puti Puti will take place in one of the large spaces, the “Big Dish”.
▼ The Big Dish is a 22-meter (72-foot) diameter space, now decked out in huge swathes of bubble wrap.
Puti puti, pronounced puchi puchi, is the Japanese onomatopoeic word for the pop! sound made by bubble wrap as you squeeze it. The project was brought together over a period of two months, supervised by fashion designer Kosuke Tsumura who also lectures at Musashino University. Student volunteers helped to string up and secure sheet after sheet of squishy plastic while resisting the urge to pop, pop, pop away at all those tantalizing bubbles.
The bubble wrap is arranged in all kinds of ways to stimulate creativity and the desire to play. Strips of bubble wrap dangle from the ceiling in fluttering ribbons, while other kids may want to wriggle inside a rolled sheet of wrap and roll around on the floor. Stalactites of rolled bubble wrap invite kids to punch, hug, and shake them to their heart’s content.
Yet more wrap adorns the floor in huge, snail-shell spiral circles. Stomp on them! Pick them up! Roll them around! Since the bubble wrap is soft and protective, you don’t need to worry about bumps and scrapes as you might in another playground. If your child is three years old or younger, you can use a much smaller 7-meter (22.9-feet) diameter space called the Little Dish so that they can play gently with kids around the same age.
The Let’s Play! Puti Puti playrooms will be available until March 2022, so if you’re in or near Tachikawa make sure to stop by for some safe, bouncy entertainment! You might want to check the prices as they vary based on day, ages, and whether you reside in Tachikawa or not—and holiday prices apply from September 18 to September 26.
Playroom Information
Let’s Play! Puti Puti at Play! Museum and Park
Address: Tokyo-to, Tachikawa-shi, Midori-cho 3-1 Green Springs W3
東京都立川市緑町3-1 GREEN SPRINGS W3
Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weekdays), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (weekends and holidays), with last entry an hour before closing time
Website
Source: PR Times, Play! Museum and Park
Images: PR Times
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/09/17/squish-pop-and-roll-your-way-through-tokyos-new-ginormous-bubble-wrap-play-park/feed/ 0 556708 sub3-36