![\"yoyogi](\"http:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/08\/yoyogi-park-1.jpg\")
\n(Source: http:\/\/bit.ly\/2NqqU1w<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Tokyo has a multitude of parks, but not all parks attract the same kind of visitors. For instance, Shinjuku Gyoen doesn\u2019t allow alcohol, so it\u2019s recommended for families, or garden\/parks like Koishikawa Korakuen are more for those who want to appreciate nature quietly\u2014no picnics or anything, just strolling and taking photos. So where do you go if you\u2019re looking for a hip, fun park? Yoyogi Park\u2014that\u2019s where!<\/p>\n
Located near the JR Line\u2019s Harajuku or Yoyogi Station, or Tokyo Metro\u2019s Meiji-Jingumae Station, Yoyogi Park is one of Tokyo\u2019s largest parks at 54.1 hectares. Although it was officially created as a park in 1967, it\u2019s had quite some history. It was previously a military parade ground, and it was the site of military barracks when the US occupied Japan. It was also significant to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics: the Yoyogi National Gymnasium was created for that event, and the main athletes\u2019 village was also in the park. In recent history, the park was also closed for some time in 2014 due to a dengue outbreak having started in that area.<\/p>\n
Around the Park<\/h3>\n
Today, Yoyogi Park is divided into 2 parts, separated by a road. One part is the forest park area, and another, which is a longer walk away, has an outdoor stage and stadium. The former is the larger area, and is usually where people have barbeques and picnics, while the latter\u2019s facilities make it suitable for events\u2014it\u2019s virtually unheard of for a weekend to go by without an event in that part of Yoyogi Park!<\/p>\n
The forest park area is what most people think of when you mention \u201cYoyogi Park.\u201d It\u2019s suitable not only for picnics, but also for other outdoor activities like skating and jogging. Its fields are large and sprawling, so if you just want to sit down and relax, that\u2019s fine, too. It\u2019s also got cycling plazas for adults and children; a pond with some fountains; a bird sanctuary; a sample garden which was formed thanks to the contributions of 22 participant countries during the Tokyo Olympics; rose, cherry, and plum gardens; and an observation deck from which you can see the entirety of the forest area.<\/p>\n
As for flora, Yoyogi Park\u2019s is honestly not that special or scenic compared to that of other parks. It\u2019s not so much known for the beauty of its trees and blossoms; it\u2019s better known for being a park that\u2019s bustling with activity. However, Yoyogi Park does have some cherry blossoms\u2014it has around 500 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees, and also some kawazu sakura\u2014early-blooming sakura\u2014trees. While it\u2019s not exactly known as a hanami spot (other parks easily beat Yoyogi Park in that regard) it\u2019s not unheard of to have hanami picnics there. The Japanese zelkova, though, is the tree that\u2019s in most abundance in the park.<\/p>\n The other side doesn\u2019t really have much flora; again, it\u2019s better known as an event venue. Usually, you\u2019ll see cultural events and\/or flea markets there, as well as food stalls. That side also has an athletic field, soccer and hockey field, and basketball court. It\u2019s also quite close to the NHK Broadcast Center.<\/p>\n There\u2019s almost always something happening in Yoyogi Park. The park has had celebrations such as Outdoor Day, which, as the name implies, encourages people to spend more time outdoors; Earth Day; and, just recently, Tokyo Rainbow Pride, which even featured a pride parade.<\/p>\n Many Yoyogi Park events are about getting a glimpse of other cultures, though. And we\u2019re not just talking about international cultures\u2014many of Japan\u2019s other areas have their own distinct culture and traditions, too! Without leaving Tokyo, you can sample some regional and international cuisines and maybe even try some cultural activities at such events. Just some of Yoyogi Park\u2019s cultural events held in recent years are St. Patrick\u2019s Day in March; Songkran Festival (a general celebration of Thai culture\u2014though, it doesn\u2019t really resemble the actual Songkran event) and Cambodian Festival in April; Cinco de Mayo, Okinawan Festival, and One Love Jamaica Festival in May; an ASEAN Festival in June; a Brazilian Day and Indonesian Festival in July; a Latin American\/Caribbean Festival in August; Vietnam, Indian, and Sri Lankan festivals in September, and more! In fact, some countries like Thailand even hold multiple events throughout the year. These events are usually a huge hit with visitors, and the lines at the food booths can get rather long. With all these events, Yoyogi Park is rather international and if you are looking to enjoy international events or make friends from other countries, this is a good place to go to!<\/p>\n Yoyogi Park Access<\/strong> Admission Opening Hours Unlike Any Other Parks in Japan (Source: http:\/\/bit.ly\/2NqqU1w) Tokyo has a multitude of parks, but not all parks attract the same kind of visitors. For instance, Shinjuku Gyoen doesn\u2019t allow alcohol, so it\u2019s recommended for families, or garden\/parks like Koishikawa Korakuen are more for those who want to appreciate nature quietly\u2014no picnics or anything, just strolling and taking photos. So where do you go if you\u2019re looking for a hip, fun park? Yoyogi Park\u2014that\u2019s where! Located near the JR Line\u2019s Harajuku or Yoyogi Station, or Tokyo Metro\u2019s Meiji-Jingumae Station, Yoyogi Park is one of Tokyo\u2019s largest parks at 54.1 hectares. Although it was officially created as a park in 1967, … \u2018Hip\u2019 Yoyogi Park!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-near-shinjuku"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":454,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447\/revisions\/454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"yoyogi](\"http:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/08\/yoyogi-park-2.jpg\")
\n(Source: http:\/\/bit.ly\/2wriDUt<\/a>)<\/p>\nA Taste of Other Cultures at Yoyogi Park<\/h3>\n
![\"yoyogi](\"http:\/\/tateshina.co.jp\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2018\/08\/yoyogi-park-3.jpg\")
\n(Source: http:\/\/bit.ly\/2okW8w4<\/a>)<\/p>\nMore Information<\/h3>\n
\n2-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo<\/p>\n
\nYoyogi Park is a 5 minute walk from Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line. It is located next to Meiji Shrine.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Free admission.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Always open, with no closing days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"