is a public park located 1 km northeast of Ōmiya Station and the most visited park in Saitama. The park encompasses a huge area of 67.9ha (as of 2004) and is famous for

Japanese Red Pine ''Pinus densiflora'', also called the Japanese red pine, the Japanese pine, or Korean red pine, is a species of pine tree native to East Asia. Distribution and habitat ''P. densiflora'' has a home range that includes Japan, the Korean Peninsula, ...

forest and

cherry blossoms A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

. In particular, the park ranks in the Top 100 Locations in Japan for Cherry Blossoms. The Ōmiya Baseball Stadium was the first stadium to hold

NPB or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

's postseason game other than original homegrounds.

History

Ōmiya Park

In 1885, the park opened its door to the public as a prefectural public park. In 1921, a large-scale expansion project was undertaken including the planting of cherry trees and the construction of Ōmiya Park Baseball Stadium. In 1962, the park is designated to be a part of urban planning. In 1980, Ōmiya Second Park opened to the east of Ōmiya Park. In 2001, Ōmiya Third Park was established beyond the southern perimeter of Ōmiya Second Park.

Ōmiya Second Park

Ōmiya Second Park refers to a section that occupies the western side of

Prefectural Road in Japan are roads usually planned, numbered and maintained by the government of the respective prefecture (-to, -dō, -fu or -ken), independent of other prefectures – as opposed to national roads (kokudō), which in legal terms include ...

35. It was established in 1980 with 650

Japanese apricot ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, lon ...

trees interspersed within the grounds of the park. In 1996, the Fragrance Road accessible to wheelchairs was constructed. Visitors can enjoy displays of flowers and fragrances of trees that change with season year around. Each year between mid-February to March, the Japanese Apricot Festival is held.

Ōmiya Third Park

Ōmiya Third Park is the name of an area that is located to the south of Ōmiya Second Park. It became accessible to the public in 2001. The initial plan was to relocate Ōmiya Park Baseball Stadium or Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium to this site. Later, the plan was altered to incorporate the pristine scenery of

Minuma or is an area of paddy fields and other agricultural fields along the Minuma Irrigational Canal in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The area encompasses 1260 hectares and straddles across five wards of the city of Saitama ( Kita-ku, Ōmiya-ku, ...

and create an open space that accommodates both people and nature. The park highlights the images of greenery, water, and light.

Facilities

*Ōmiya Park Baseball Stadium *

NACK5 Stadium Ōmiya is a football stadium located in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama city, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is the home stadium of J2 League club Omiya Ardija. It was formerly known as Omiya Football Stadium. Since 14 May 2007 it has been called for the naming r ...

(Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium) *Ōmiy

Keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...

Track *Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore

Access

*20-minute walk from Ōmiya Station *10-minute walk from

Tōbu Noda Line is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

Ōmiya-kōen Station is a passenger railway station on the Tōbu Urban Park Line located in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tōbu Railway. Lines Ōmiya-kōen Station is served by the 62.7 km Tōbu Urban Pa ...

External links

Saitama Prefecture website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omiya Park Saitama (city) Parks and gardens in Saitama Prefecture