in Machida
This undiscovered gem of a park in Machida boasts a spectacular double-taiko bridge, a huge lotus pond with boardwalks, a valley of terraced iris, a historic thatch-roofed house, and excellent traditional flower displays year-round.
The double-taiko bridge is this park’s unique attraction, one of the rare examples of an arched side-by-side design used strategically in the samurai era to slow down enemy invaders, who had to zig-zag instead of charging across. It’s extraordinarily picturesque in every season, but especially in the fall, when they activate the mist system to create a dreamy daytime vibe…
and a spooky atmosphere at the nighttime leaf light-up. This garden is especially photogenic when the leaves turn and the evergreen snow protection ropes go up in late October to early November…
but the bridge is a sight worth traveling for in any season. If we go earlier in the year, a terraced valley planted with hundreds of Japanese iris wends its way down from the Shikisai-no-Mori cafe complex near the west entrance…
leading to a historic gate and thatch-roofed farmhouse that’s open to the public all year.
Through the gate, gentle hiking trails explore the hillsides, where they pass a waterfall-fed koi pond…
and branch off to ring the tree-lined lake, leading toward the taiko bridge.
Beyond the narrow gap lies a community center and path to a second pond, criss-crossed by crooked bridges…
and bordered by early blooming cherry blossoms that frame the views in pink and white,
and reflect their early spring glory in the still-bare lotus pond.
But come July, this view looks very different!
It’s easy to get up close and personal with the dinner plate-sized flowers in this magnificently lush lotus garden…
because the crooked bridges have now become boardwalks that take visitors right into the heart of lotusland.
The park also boasts a hillside forest sheltering rare varieties of camellias that bloom in April,
and an extensive wisteria arbor lavishly dripping with purple and pink streamers from late April to early May.
It’s always a display worth seeing.
As we wend our way out of the valley and back toward the Shikisai-no-Mori cafe and library complex at the west portal, we can’t help but notice the hydrangeas delicately coming into bloom…
and the carnivorous Japanese cobra lilies happily growing wild on the hillsides and awaiting their next insect snack.
Yakushiike Park
(it’s pronounced Yah-koo-she-ee-kay)
Open: Every day
Hours: 6:00 – 19:00
Admission: Free
How to get there from Machida Station:
The #55 bus is the fastest and easiest way to get to Yaskushiike Park, so after you get off the train at Machida Station, walk to Bus Stop 21 (this link is to the Google map, because it’s devilishly difficult to decipher the maps near the bus center). Get on the bus from the back door (in the middle of the bus), tapping your Suica/Pasmo card on the pad as you enter. Watch the electronic board above the driver for the Shikisai-no-mori bus stop and ring the red “please stop” button near your seat. Exit through the front door by the driver, tapping your Suica/Pasmo as you get off. If you miss the Shikisai-no-Mori stop, you can get off at the next one, which will land you near the other end of the park, by the lotus pond. Return to the station bus stop is across the street; look for the indented bus stop curb and sign.
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And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 