Park · Oji

Asukayama Park 飛鳥山公園

One of Edo's original cherry-blossom parks, planted by shogun Yoshimune in the 1720s for the common people, reached by a free, snail-shaped mini monorail from Oji Station, with the Toden tram running past below.

About

Asukayama was Tokyo's first public hanami spot: in the 1720s the eighth shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted over a thousand cherry trees here and allowed ordinary townsfolk to drink and party beneath them, a radical idea at the time. The hilltop park still has around 600 trees, plus hydrangeas along the old railway in June and azaleas in spring. From Oji Station you can ride the Asukayama Park Monorail, nicknamed "Ascargot", a tiny free funicular-style car that crawls up the slope in two minutes. On the hill are three museums (paper, Kita City history and the Shibusawa Memorial Museum), and the former villa of Shibusawa Eiichi, the "father of Japanese capitalism" now on the ¥10,000 note, with its Bankoro and Seien Bunko pavilions. Below, the Tokyo Sakura Tram runs on the street like a city tram, a favourite photo spot.

Highlights

• Edo's first public cherry-blossom park, planted in the 1720s
• Free "Ascargot" mini monorail up the hill from Oji Station
• Shibusawa Eiichi's former villa pavilions and memorial museum
• Tokyo Sakura Tram running down the street beside the park
• Hydrangea path along the JR tracks in June

Tips

• The Ascargot runs about 10:00–16:00 and is free, board at the bottom by Oji Station's central exit.
• Late March–early April is packed but very local; come early on weekdays.
• In June, walk the Asukayama hydrangea path along the railway, then head to nearby Otonashi Shinsui Park.
• Ride the tram from Asukayama to Minowabashi or Waseda for a cross-town shitamachi journey.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Paper MuseumMuseum · 60 m away
• Toden Tram Street Section at AsukayamaPhoto Spot · 150 m away
• Asukayama Park Monorail (Ascargo)Transit Hub · 160 m away
• Oji ShrineShrine · 460 m away
• Hokutopia Observation LobbyVista & View · 540 m away
• King SeimenRamen & Noodles · 580 m away
• Kairaku (Oji)Ramen & Noodles · 770 m away
• Oji Inari ShrineShrine · 820 m away