is a national government park in

Akishima is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,542, and a population density of 6500 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Akishima is loc ...

and

Tachikawa, Tokyo 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 households, and a population density of 7600 persons per km2. The total area of the cit ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is the largest park in the Tokyo area, covering 1,653,000 square meters. Formerly a Japanese military airbase and in the postwar era operated by the US military,

Tachikawa Airfield is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service. History Origins Tach ...

was returned to the Japanese government in 1977. Part of the airfield remains a

Japan Ground Self Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

base, while the remainder of the airfield was used to establish Showa Commemorative Park in 1983 as part of a project to commemorate the emperor's

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

. There is a small museum dedicated to the Showa emperor.Showa Memorial Park webpag
A zone , Area Guide
Retrieved on December 4, 2014 Bicycles may be rented in the park, which has an 11 kilometer bike trail with parking areas at all locations. There is also an outdoor barbecue area. In December, the park has illuminations including Christmas lighting. The park can be best accessed from

Nishi-Tachikawa Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Nishi-Tachikawa Station is served by the Ōme Line, and is located 1.9 kilometers from the starting point ...

on the JR

Ome line Ome may refer to: Places * Ome (Bora Bora), a public island in the lagoon of Bora Bora * Ome, Lombardy, Italy, a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia * Ōme, Tokyo, a city in the Prefecture of Tokyo * Ome (crater), a crater on Mars Tran ...

or via a 15- to 20-minute walk from JR's

Tachikawa Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Tachikawa Station is served by the Chūō Main Line, and is located 37.1 kilometers from the ...

or Seibu's

Musashi-Sunagawa Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway. Lines The station is served by the Seibu Haijima Line, and is located 9.6 kilometers from the starting point ...

Gallery

File:紅葉 - 水鳥の池 - panoramio.jpg File:Japanese garden in Showa Memorial Park.jpg, Japanese garden File:Showa kinen park 1989.jpg, Satellite view in 1989 File:立川 2015-04 (17118580571).jpg File:Rendezvous Plaza at Showa Kinen Park.jpg File:Midoricho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0014, Japan - panoramio.jpg File:Children's Forest (10606163663).jpg File:Fall foliage at Showa Kinen Koen (38357777571).jpg File:The Winter Vista Illumination at Showa Kinen Park03.jpg

References

External links

Official site
National Government Parks of Japan Parks and gardens in Tokyo Western Tokyo Tachikawa, Tokyo Akishima, Tokyo Forest parks in Japan {{Tokyo-geo-stub