Tokyo Metropolitan Okutama Lakeside Park Yama-no-Furusatomura

In short

Tokyo Metropolitan Okutama Lakeside Park Yama-no-Furusatomura is a Tokyo metropolitan nature park facility located on the shores of Lake Okutama. Situated within Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, it is affectionately known by the nickname "Yama-furu." Visitors can experience the nature of Okutama through camping, craft activities, and forest walks.

• ​Visitor Center​​: Specialized staff members are permanently stationed here, introducing the nature and history of the park and surrounding areas through exhibits.
• ​Craft Center​​: Visitors can try their hand at woodworking and stone crafts using Okutama wood and stone, as well as pottery making and soba (buckwheat noodle) making.
• ​Trails Tracing Old Settlements​​: Stroll along the park's walking trails to discover traces of former mountain villages, such as stone walls and the former Kamo-jinja Shrine.

History and Highlights

Yama-no-Furusatomura is a Tokyo metropolitan nature park facility that opened in October 1990. Its official name is "Tokyo Metropolitan Okutama Lakeside Park Yama-no-Furusatomura," and it is affectionately known to visitors by the nickname "Yama-furu." It was created with the aim of introducing the rich nature of Okutama and deepening interest in it.

The park grounds were developed along the Saiguchi Stream, which flows into Lake Okutama, and cover an area of approximately 30 hectares. A major feature is its campground, where visitors can stay in tents or log cabins. In addition, there is a visitor center, a craft center, and a restaurant, along with well-maintained trails for enjoying nature walks.

Mountain settlements once existed in this location. Yama-no-Furusatomura was built on the sites of the former villages of Kukizawa and Hisashi, which served as the Ogochi-side starting points of the Koshu Kodo (ancient road) that crossed Kazahari Pass to Itsukaichi. Walking along the trails in the park, visitors can encounter remnants of these villages, such as stone walls, stone monuments, the former Kamo-jinja Shrine, the ruins of wasabi fields, and the remains of charcoal-burning kilns.

Points to See and Experience

• ​Visitor Center​​: Specialized staff known as interpreters are stationed here to share information about nature and provide guidance on the surrounding area. It features exhibits introducing the nature and history of the park and its surroundings, and also conducts hands-on nature programs.
• ​Craft Center​​: Visitors can experience making bookstands and birdhouses using Okutama wood, creating pendants from Okutama stones, and trying pottery. Soba noodle making requires an advance reservation.
• ​Lakeside Plaza (Kohan Hiroba)​​: A plaza situated directly above the stream that flows into Lake Okutama. In spring, wild mountain cherry blossoms (yamazakura) and fresh greenery are beautiful; in autumn, the foliage is vibrant; and in winter, deer and wild boar footprints can often be seen on the snow.

Walking Tips

Yama-no-Furusatomura is located at the western edge of Tokyo, near the border with Yamanashi Prefecture. When traveling by train and bus, take the Nishi Tokyo Bus from JR Okutama Station for about 30 minutes and get off at "Ogochi Jinja / Mugiyama Ukihashi." Cross the Mugiyama Floating Bridge and walk along the "Lakeside Trail" (Kohan no Komichi) following Lake Okutama for about 40 minutes to reach the park. Please note that the floating bridge is removed and cannot be crossed when the dam's water level drops. By car, it takes about 40 minutes from Okutama Station, entering via the Okutama Shuyu Road. Inside the park, Nature Trail I is a route that can be walked in about 40 minutes. It is a 1,120-meter trail that starts beside the Lakeside Plaza and offers views of Lake Okutama; along the way, many traces of squirrel feeding can be found at "Squirrel Plaza" (Risu no Hiroba). From midway along Nature Trail III, you can also head toward Saiguchi Pass along the Saiguchi Stream, a hike that takes about 3 hours to the pass.