Zoo & Aquarium · Kanaimachi / Machida

Machida Squirrel Garden & Yakushiike Park 町田リス園・薬師池公園

A forest enclosure where about 200 free-roaming Taiwan squirrels clamber over you for sunflower seeds (with protective gloves on), right next to Yakushiike Park, a lovely old pond garden with lotus, plum and an Edo farmhouse.

Hours10:00–16:00 (to 17:00 Sundays and holidays Apr–Sep)

ClosedTuesdays (next weekday if a holiday), maintenance days, Dec 27–Jan 2

PriceAdmission (junior high and over): ¥500
Child (3+): ¥300
Yakushiike Park: Free

Getting thereMachida-risuen-mae bus stop (from Machida Station), 1 min

Time needed1.5–2 hours

Best timeWeekday mornings; July for lotus

Address733-1 Kanaimachi, Machida City, Tokyo

Websitemachida-risuen.com

About

Machida Squirrel Garden is a local institution. You walk through a fenced woodland where around 200 Taiwanese squirrels roam freely, and for a few hundred yen you can borrow thick gloves and a bag of sunflower seeds, at which point the squirrels hop onto your arms to eat. There is also a small pen of guinea pigs and tortoises. It sounds silly and is genuinely delightful, and children adore it. Across the road, Yakushiike Park (Shikisai no Mori) surrounds an old pond with lotus in July, cherry and plum blossoms, an iris garden and the relocated thatched Nagai family farmhouse. It's the perfect Machida half-day, combined with Buaiso.

Highlights

About 200 free-roaming Taiwan squirrels you can feed by hand
Thick gloves and seeds provided for feeding
Yakushiike Park's lotus, iris and plum gardens
A relocated thatched Edo-period farmhouse in the park
A short walk between the two

Tips

Feeding is available most of the day but squirrels are hungriest in the morning.
The garden is closed on Tuesdays (open on holidays) and for maintenance days in some months.
Take the bus from Machida Station bound for Fujinodai-danchi or Nozuta-shako to Machida-risuen-mae (about 20 min).
Yakushiike's lotus blooms in July. Visit in the early morning.

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

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Machida Squirrel Garden & Yakushiike Park 町田リス園・薬師池公園

About

Highlights

Tips

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