From Kichijoji to Inokashira Park and the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

This walking course takes you from the shopping streets at the north exit of Kichijoji Station to Inokashira Onshi Park south of the station. Explore the Inokashira Park Zoo, which consists of the Aquatic Life Park beside Inokashira Pond and the Zoo featuring creatures of Japan's fields and mountains, then continue to the park's West Garden to conclude at the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka nestled in the forest.

History and Local Charm

There is no temple called Kichijoji in the town of Kichijoji. People from the temple town (monzenmachi) of Kichijoji who were displaced by the Great Fire of Meireki in Edo relocated to this area in 1659 (the second year of the Manji era) and named it Kichijoji. Today, large commercial facilities coexist with unique independent shops, right next to the greenery of Inokashira Onshi Park.

Inokashira Pond at the center of the park was a water source for Edo, depicted in works such as Utagawa Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. It has been known as a scenic spot since the Edo period. In the Meiji period, it became an imperial forest, and in 1917 (the sixth year of the Taisho era), it opened as Japan's first imperial gift park (onshi park).

On the pond's Nakanoshima island, a small zoo opened in 1934, followed in 1936 by the Aquatic Life House, an aquarium specializing in freshwater fish. Then, during World War II on May 17, 1942, the Inokashira Nature and Culture Park (Inokashira Park Zoo) opened. At the time, the word "culture" (bunka) carried the meaning of "cultivation" or "education," and the park was named to foster cultivation based on natural science. In 2001, the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka opened in the West Garden of the park. This course traces the progress of the town and park, from the pond that was Edo's water source to an animation museum.

Major Highlights

• ​Kichijoji​​: Sun Road is an arcade shopping street of about 300 meters connecting the north exit of the station to Itsukaichi-kaido Street. Harmonica Yokocho on the north side of the station thrived as a postwar black market and still retains the atmosphere of the Showa era today. Nanaibashi-dori Street connects the station to the park, and the town is filled with numerous vintage clothing shops.
• ​Inokashira Park Zoo​​: A zoo located inside Inokashira Onshi Park, divided into the "Main Park (Zoo)" with a museum and sculpture garden, and the "Branch Park (Aquatic Life Park)" with the Aquatic Life House and waterfowl displays. The Main Park primarily exhibits animals living in Japan's fields and mountains, featuring the "Squirrel Trail" where visitors can enter the living space of Japanese squirrels, as well as a sculpture garden by Kitamura Seibo. In the Branch Park surrounded by Inokashira Pond, you can see creatures and birds that live by the water. A single admission ticket grants entry to both the Main Park and Branch Park.
• ​Inokashira Onshi Park West Garden​​: One of the four areas of the park, located on the Mitaka City side, gathering sports fields, tennis courts, and baseball fields. The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka was built on land set aside for expanding the West Garden.
• ​Ghibli Museum, Mitaka​​: A museum designed by director Miyazaki Hayao, featuring two floors above ground and one basement floor. Spiral staircases and suspended walkways surround the open central atrium. The underground theater "Doseiza" (Saturn Theater) screens original animated short films, and an approximately 5-meter-tall Robot Soldier from Castle in the Sky stands in the rooftop garden.

Recommended Itinerary and Estimated Time

The estimated time required is about 6 hours. Admission to the Ghibli Museum is by reservation only, with a designated date and time. Tickets are not sold at the museum's counter, so reserve before setting out and calculate your walking schedule backward from your admission time. Re-entry is not permitted, so walk through the park either before entering or after leaving the museum.

First, stroll along Sun Road and Daiyagai at the north exit of Kichijoji Station. Return to the south of the station and walk down Nanaibashi-dori Street to reach Inokashira Onshi Park in a few minutes. Once inside the park, visit the Aquatic Life Park (Branch Park) beside Inokashira Pond. After seeing the Branch Park, exit from the Benten Gate near the Main Park and head toward the main entrance of the Zoo (Main Park). To move between the two parks, you must exit through the gates and walk along public roads and through the park. The two sections are about a 5-minute walk apart. The only entrance to the Main Park is the main gate, located about 710 meters west-southwest of Kichijoji. Inside the Main Park, it is recommended to enter the main gate, turn right, and tour counterclockwise. A leisurely tour of both parks takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Walk about 300 meters southwest from the main gate of the Main Park to reach the West Garden. From the West Garden, head south for about 290 meters to reach the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka. Walking along Kichijoji-dori Avenue, you will spot a fake reception desk featuring a large Totoro.

Photography and video recording are not permitted inside the museum. Visitors are not moved out in timed sessions, so once inside, take your time to explore the exhibits with your own eyes at your own pace. On the way back, it is about a 15-minute walk along the Tamagawa Aqueduct to the south exit of JR Mitaka Station. A community bus also runs between the museum and Mitaka Station's south exit, taking about 5 minutes.

If you have booked a morning admission to the museum, take the route in reverse. Walk from the south exit of Mitaka Station along the Tamagawa Aqueduct to the museum, then proceed through the West Garden, Inokashira Park Zoo, and Inokashira Pond to Kichijoji. If you arrive in the evening, enjoying drinks with yakitori in Harmonica Yokocho is also a great option.

Experience Summary

Shopping streets lined with unique shops, a pond that once served as Edo's water source, the Aquatic Life Park beside the pond and a zoo where you can meet animals of Japan's fields and mountains, and a museum nestled in the woods. From the station to the museum, moving from urban streets to rich greenery, the scenery shifts as you walk. At this building that looks like the gateway to a story, wrap up your journey and cherish the day's memories on your way home.