Monday, August 22, 2016

Summer in Tokyo: River side picnick by Futako-Tamagawa (二子玉川)

Summer in Tokyo is certainly hot and humid! Sometimes the heat gets so unbearable one hardly wants to leave the house. During this time of the year it is recommendable to get away from the asphalt jungle and find shelter somewhere cool.

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Futako-Tamagawa Station on the Denen-Toshi Line

There's a newly developed area right south of Tokyo in the Setagaya ward called Futako-tamagawa or just “Niko-tama” for short where you can get some shadow by the Hyogojima Park. You can reach Futako-tamagawa by train from Shibuya in 12 minutes by the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line (東急田園都市線) express train in direction Chuo-Rinkan (中央林間). Right by the Futako-tamagawa station you have direct access to both posh shopping malls, restaurants and cafes, and from the station you can reach the Tama river in just a couple of minutes of walking.
The idyllic area around the Hyogojima park provides a perfect option to go for a picnic or just cool down on a hot day and hang out with friends and/or family. I recently went on a picnic to the river with a group of friends, and would definitely recommend it for anyone spending some hot summer days in Tokyo. Here are some pictures from the day:

It would be recommended to bring a tarp-tent or something if you're planning to spend the whole day by the river, as the sun can be pretty strong. But if you're early you might also be lucky and find some available space underneath one of the bridges that cross the Tama river where there's plenty of shadow. It is not as crowded as for instance the Yoyogi park so either way you are likely to get a lot more space to tumble around.

..and if you bring some food you can have a nice picnic too!

There are a lot of firework events in Japan during the summer months, so if you can combine the day with some fireworks you could as well try to wear a yukata. Although I've lived in Japan for 5 years this was actually my first time to put it on myself.. It is not easy to put it on by yourself though, so it was a good thing there were a lot of instruction videos available on Youtube.

Basic information

Name	Futako-tamagawa - the Tama River - Hyogojima Park
Address	〒158-0094 Tokyo, Setagaya-ku, Tamagawa, 3 Chome−2−1
Access	Approximately 5 min. from Futako-tamagawa Station

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- Anette

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.