Nature?

Written by Spencer Harrington

The warm days of summer are disappearing rapidly. Time in the sun will be a rarity as we enter the end of November and the end of an unusually long summer that saw Tokyo reach a record breaking 37degrees.   I sported only a singlet, boardies and jandels for most of it and it is safe to say I stuck out like a sore thumb, especially as I was living in one of the business districts of Tokyo, Kamiyacho. But hey, when the New Zealander in me feels a season as hot as that, it’s pure instinct to get into my summer uniform.

I spent many days in this uniform, chilling under trees, kicking a ball around, and/or wasting time with mates in the many parks around Tokyo; in particular, Yoyogi Park - a major source of fun and entertainment for most of the summer months. But unfortunately this does not reflect the overall quality of the other parks and gardens in Tokyo.

Warning: some of the following might shock or offend some Kiwi readers. We advise discretion.


There are 63 major parks in the general Tokyo area. 15 of them cost to get in with a 600yen ( $11 NZ ) on some. It reminds me of the song by Joni Mitchell, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’...”They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum, and charged everyone a dollar to come and see them”. In Kingsland, Auckland City, I had 11 decent sized parks within walking distance of my home, I can’t imagine ever being asked to pay a fee to chill at one. Well, there is Eden Park(the 2011 Rugby World Cup venue)  but that’s a little different.

It gets worse. A lot of them close…that’s right, CLOSE by 5pm and not just traditional gardens or tourist attractions, but a lot of the public parks, skate parks, and local parks. The first time I got ushered out of a park (under normal circumstances that is) with the sun still up, made me really question the priorities of this metropolis.

On top of this, the Japanese idea of a park differs dramatically from mine. Not long after touching down in Tokyo, I felt that urge to chill under a tree, something I take for granted back home. But I quickly found out, after visiting the suggested local parks, that the Japanese consider  large slabs of concrete or tiled courtyard with trees growing out of small holes in the cement to be, well, a ‘park’. A good thing for the skaters and BMXers who make the most of it but not so good for someone who loves his toes in the grass and the feeling of wilderness around him. Or at least actual grass, and not grass looking weeds.



When I did occasionally find a place with amazing fields and quality grass, I wasn’t really surprised to find that is was just for looking at. Large areas of Yoyogi Park on the Shinjuku side have amazing fields and chill spots which are roped off. Security guards are included in this scenic experience The Imperial Palace and surrounding area is the central point of Tokyo city as well as being next to the Parliament Buildings in Sakurada-mon. It is easily double or even triple the size of the Auckland Domain but most of the forest and gardens are off-limits to the public and protected by the biggest moat I have ever laid my eyes on. The only area accessible to the average Joe is an extremely large courtyard within the rock walls and moat, with  vast fields of grass and perfectly pruned bonsai style trees, all in an area the size of four city blocks. But…yes, you guessed it. You can look but you can not touch!

I get the feeling that Auckland is a city built amongst the trees, fields and reserves of land. Tokyo feels like a city where the nature is built amongst the buildings, expressways and train tracks of the land. With the obvious population problem, it’s understandable, yet sad.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost. Yoyogi Park could be considered the ‘Central Park’ of Tokyo, located right in the middle of the popular areas of the city. This massive piece of land lies in between Shibuya and Shinjuku and also spans out to Harajuku, Omote-Sando, Jingu Mae and Yoyogi. Inside this vast area of greenery are small reserves of native trees, areas of open fields, large water fountains, ponds and water features, rose gardens, bike tracks, children’s playgrounds, and at the Harajuku entrance of the park is the gateway to Tokyo’s largest Shinto Shrine, Meiji Jingu, located down an extremely long gravel path hidden amongst dense native forest.

Random Fact: Yoyogi Park’s forest area covers 700,000 square-meters (about 175 acres). Mainly an evergreen forest, it consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.

It is extremely picturesque and if you weren’t surrounded by people in modern clothing you would  believe you were back in the Meiji era of Japan (1868 – 1912). On the weekend, especially during summer, you will be able to see weddings amongst the old buildings of the shrine, and with the dress of husband and wife, it is a sight to behold.

However, it is not simply the park itself that is a spectacle but what the park attracts…



Nihon jin (Japanese people) and especially Tokyo jin, have a reputation for being very uniform, or afraid of standing out, which can sometimes be confused with lacking in individuality (I can almost believe that when I witness the sea of ‘salary men’, looking like a scene straight out of ‘The Matrix’). But come the weekend, especially Sunday, Yoyogi Park fills with people practising martial arts, Taiko drumming, teenagers performing their well practised hip hop dances, magicians and comedians trying out their latest material, tightrope enthusiasts meeting up to test each other’s skill, large groups of friends drinking, playing badminton, and picnicking in the sun, all the way to the lone saxophone student hidden deep in the trees, finding a more inspirational surrounding to practise.


There are things that go on here that could not happen at parks back in NZ. The Japanese people’s respect and politeness allows it all to happen at once. I love the vibe and the fact that some of these people might be typical salary men, possibly leading structured daily lives, 6 days a week…but for that one, 7th day, they come to this park and are expressive and creative and free.

Yoyogi Park has a similar look and layout to the Auckland Domain but has the vibe and functionality of Albert Park. Festivals and live music events happen regularly during the summer and any weekend, almost all-year-round you will be able to head to the newly built courtyard near the Harajuku entrance and see one of the main attractions of Yoyogi Park, the Rockabillies - a very dedicated group of individuals that get together dressed in their finest 50’s rocker / hotrod / grease / milk-bar  fashion and swing to 50’s pop music. The guys wear leather jackets or sleeveless torn vests, greased up hair combed to perfection just like John Travolta himself, only these guys take their hair styles to an extreme, almost ridiculous level.Some sport traditional Japanese tattoos covering their entire back or arm sleeve. Some of the girls do too, wearing their ‘Betty Boo’ dresses and ringlet 50’s hair.. No doubt some of these people are ‘Yakuza’ affiliated and definitely not to be messed with but this makes the whole situation even more bizarre. Crowds gather all day every day to enjoy the performance.

Yoyogi Park provides respite from the concrete jungle, as do other parks in the wider Tokyo area. In fact, if you really try, you can find some gems hidden amongst the sea of grey, all with a Japanese twist which makes the search worth the trouble.

But as summer moves south I think of you all in your natural environment and feel the need to proffer this advice…

Make the most of what we got New Zealand!