Akatsukayama Park, Botanical garden and park in Itabashi, Japan.
Akatsukayama Park is a botanical garden and park in Itabashi featuring over 600 species of trees and plants arranged in themed sections. The grounds include areas for native flora, medicinal herbs, sports facilities with baseball fields, and spaces for outdoor leisure beneath zelkova trees.
The park opened to the public in 1937 as a managed space created from part of the former Musashino woodland estate. This conversion reflected a broader movement in Japan to preserve natural areas and provide public green spaces for urban residents.
The Manyo Yakuyo Garden section displays medicinal plants referenced in the Man'yoshu, an eighth-century Japanese poetry collection. This botanical collection shows how ancient Japanese poets and healers valued certain plants for both healing and creative inspiration.
The park is open daily and easiest to reach via Narimasu Station with a short walk from the train platform. The paths are well maintained and the grounds offer plenty of shade from mature trees, making it pleasant to walk through in any season.
The grounds blend competitive sports facilities and quiet garden areas within the same location, an unusual mix of activity and nature. This combination lets visitors choose between active recreation and peaceful walking at one stop.
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