Yumenoshima, Artificial island in Koto, Japan
Yumenoshima is a landfill island in Tokyo Bay within Kōtō ward, now home to a large public park with sports grounds and botanical collections. The site covers roughly one and a half square kilometers and is crossed by a main road that connects the different recreational zones.
Reclamation began in the late 1930s as a planned airfield site but was converted to a garbage dump after the war. By the 1970s the stabilized land had become a public park with sports facilities and gardens.
The tropical botanical garden maintains an extensive collection of plants while utilizing excess heat from the neighboring waste incineration facility.
The park sits on the eastern shore of Kōtō and is linked to the mainland by a bridge crossing. The archery range and other sports venues often remain open for public use except during private events.
A small museum at the northern edge of the island displays the fishing boat Daigo Fukuryu Maru, which was irradiated during a 1954 nuclear test near Bikini Atoll. The vessel sits in its own hall as a memorial to the incident and its aftermath.
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