Sayama and Tama Lake, Kinuta Park during Covid-19

One of the benefits of Covid-19 (on my way to Sayama and Tama Lake)

Back in the early spring I visited Kinuta Park, which is southwest of my neighborhood, between central Setagaya City and the Tama River. Kinuta Park is about 100 acres and is famous for cherry blossoms. Although there weren't yet in bloom when I was there, the park was still a great way to get some peace of mind and take in the spring flowers. I'm generally a city person and love the convenience of Tokyo, but I try to take advantage of the nearby parks and get out of the urban landscape every week or two. I only took a few pictures, so decided to combine my visit at Kinuta with another area west of central Tokyo--the Sayama and Tama lakes.

Sayama and Tama Lakes are actually reservoirs, capturing water from the nearby mountains to the west of the city. These man made lakes are a large source of Tokyo's water, and unfortunately most of the coastline is fenced off. There are several lookout points and walking trails around the lakes, however, so I took advantage of a warm day back in March to explore the area.

Tama Lake from the walking path I took


I rode the train to the Seibukyujo-Mae station (about 1.5 hours from my apartment), which is home to the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. The grounds were quiet on account of Covid-19, but the surrounding walking trails had their fair share of cyclists and walkers. From the station I went to a lookout point over Sayama Lake, then went back around the other side of the stadium, walking along the north side of Tama Lake to the confusingly named Sayama Park. The Park was full of families enjoying the unseasonably warm day, and for awhile I forgot that we were in the midst of a global pandemic.

Next I left the park and went southeast, through Higashimurayama Park, and then turned south past Ogawa Station. By the time I reached Kokubunji Station I was worn out from a solid 5-6 hours and probably 15 miles on my two feet. I don't track my steps or distance, but I should start keeping a record. Overall the weather was great and it was nice to get out of the middle of Tokyo for a day, although I certainly wasn't in the countryside. Below are a few pictures:

This is a map of Tokyo, which contains 23 wards plus less urban areas to the west.
I couldn't find a good map of Kinuta Park in relation to the rest of Tokyo, but
it is in Setagaya-ku, in the west, so this gives you a general idea

Kinuta Park is known for its cherry blossoms. Unfortunately I didn't take
this photo since the blossoms weren't open yet when I went

Even outside the cherry blossom season, most parks have lots of flowers

Kinuta was busy with families, but the basketball courts were
closed due to Covid-19 precautions

I also couldn't find a good map of Sayama and Tam Lakes in relation to Tokyo
(maybe I'm not good at image searches), but this snapshot of Google Maps
shows the two lakes. Confusingly, Sayama Park is on the east end of
Tama Lake. The baseball stadium is near Seibukyujo-Mae Station.

This is a picture of Sayama Lake, which is actually a reservoir

View opposite the Sayama Lake dam

Near the Tama Lake dam; behind me is Sayama Park

A store near Higashimurayama Park; in Japanese it says Shop U-lala

Flowers at a random small park near Kokubunji Station. I am always
impressed with the landscaping at Japanese parks!

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