Inokashira Park, Metropolitan park in Mitaka and Musashino, Japan.
Inokashira Park is a large city park in Mitaka and Musashino districts, roughly 106 acres (43 hectares) west of central Tokyo. At the center sits a pond surrounded by paths winding through wooded slopes and open lawns.
The park opened in May 1917 as the first suburban park in Japan and marked a shift toward modern city planning in Tokyo. The spring supplied fresh water to the capital since the early 1600s.
The name means "source of the head water" because the spring here once supplied drinking water to Edo. Today families come to picnic under cherry trees and couples avoid rowing together because of old beliefs.
The entrance is a five-minute walk from Kichijoji Station and easy to reach. Boats and sports facilities require separate fees, and parts of the park are accessible for wheelchairs.
A small shrine to Benzaiten, the goddess of water and music, stands in the pond. Locals believe that couples who row together will later break up.
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