Park · Ogikubo

Otaguro Park 大田黒公園

A small, perfectly kept Japanese garden on the former estate of the music critic Otaguro Motoo, a short walk from Ogikubo Station. A gingko-lined entrance path leads to a pond garden with koi and a 1933 brick studio holding his Steinway. In November the maples are lit up at night.

About

Otaguro Motoo was a wealthy music critic who introduced Debussy and Stravinsky to Japan. He lived here from 1933 until his death, and Suginami Ward turned the land into a free public garden in 1981. You enter down a path lined with old gingko trees that turn brilliant yellow in late November. It opens onto a stream-and-pond garden with stone lanterns, a waterfall, carp and a tea house. His Western-style brick studio survives as a memorial hall with his 1900 Steinway grand. In autumn the ward runs a short evening light-up of the maples reflected in the pond, and locals know it as one of the prettiest and least crowded koyo spots in Tokyo. The rest of the year it is simply a quiet place to sit by water in the middle of a residential neighbourhood.

Highlights

• A gingko-lined entrance avenue that blazes yellow in late November
• A pond garden with koi, a waterfall and stone lanterns
• Otaguro's 1933 brick studio with his antique Steinway piano
• An evening autumn light-up of maples mirrored in the pond (paid, limited days)
• Free entry in normal hours, rare for a garden this polished

Tips

• Check the ward site for the late-November light-up dates. Weekday evenings are much calmer.
• Pair with nearby Ogikubo ramen: the area is a famous ramen neighbourhood.
• The tea room can be rented by locals for tea ceremonies, so you may glimpse one in progress.
• Note the closed days and avoid arriving after 16:30, the last entry.

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

Nearby

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• there is ramenRamen & Noodles · 920 m away