Kasai Rinkai Park

The basics

The park has a number of walking trails that crisscross the gardens, lawns, and beaches. Birders are particularly drawn here as nearly a third of the park is designated as a sea bird sanctuary: you can visit the Sea Bird Center for information on local birds. The park also has some major human-made attractions, the most popular of which is the 383-feet (117-meter) Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel. A visit to the park is incomplete without taking a 17-minute spin on the wheel: the views from the top encompass all of Tokyo and the surrounding areas, including Mount Fuji on a clear day.

Also on site is the Tokyo Sealife Aquarium, which features an all-glass dome that transports visitors straight into the sea with fish and other aquatic life swimming above, around, and below them. Helicopter tours of Tokyo typically fly over the park, offering a good perspective on its size.

Things to know before you go

• A train runs through the park, taking visitors to all of its attractions.
• Visitors are free to walk around most of the sea bird sanctuary except the protected marshes.
• There’s an admission fee to enter the park.

How to get there

The park is just next to Kasai Rinkai Koen Station on the JR Keiyo and JR Musashino lines, which is 10-15 minutes from Tokyo Station. There are also infrequent water buses that connect Kasai Rinkai Koen with Odaiba and Ryogoku.

When to get there

The park is open from mid-morning to early evening (last entry one hour before closing) six days a week. It is closed on Wednesdays, unless Wednesday is a national holiday, in which case it will close the day after the holiday. The park is also closed from December 29 to January 1.

Tokyo Disney Resort

Kasai Rinkai Park is less than a 10-minute train ride (on the Keiyō Line) from Tokyo Disney Resort. It’s a great place to wind down after spending a morning at the hugely popular–and crowded–resort that’s made up of two theme parks and a shopping mall.