Just an Hour from Tokyo. Tokorozawa, a City Closely Related to Totoro

Tokorozawa City in Saitama Prefecture, is a place recommended for people who want to visit the surrounding area of Tokyo while sightseeing Tokyo.

In recent years, in Tokorozawa City which can be reached in about an hour by train from Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station, new tourist facilities are opening one after another, and it is attracting attention as a city where you can enjoy culture and entertainment.

Furthermore, although it is not surprisingly known to Japanese people, Tokorozawa is actually a place closely related to "My Neighbor Totoro".

So, this time, we would like to tell you about the charm of Tokorozawa, which is a fun city near Tokyo.

Where is Tokorozawa City?

Tokorozawa City is located in the southwestern part of Saitama Prefecture, and is adjacent to Higashimurayama City and Higashiyamato City in Tokyo. It is located within 30 km from the center of Tokyo and is easily accessible from heart of Tokyo, so it is positioned as a "bed town" where people working in Tokyo live and commute to Tokyo.

Totoro and friends welcome you at Tokorozawa Station

Tokorozawa Station is the main station in Tokorozawa City. When you leave the station, you will see the monument of Studio Ghibli's work "My Neighbor Totoro". Totoro and Satsuki and Mei on the cat bus will welcome you.

But why is there a Totoro monument in Tokorozawa?

That's because "My Neighbor Totoro" was inspired by the nature and atmosphere of Tokorozawa, where Hayao Miyazaki has lived for many years.

The recommended place for those who want to enjoy the "nature of Tokorozawa" is the Sayama Hills, which stretches from the southwestern part of Tokorozawa City to the northwestern part of Tokyo.

The landscape is a terrain with gentle undulations and small mountains. The Sayama Hills, which cover an area of about 3,000 hectares, are rich in nature and are a popular place for hiking.

If you're lucky, you might even meet wildlife such as foxes, goshawks, and even owls.

Sayama Hills is also famous for its "satoyama" (woodlands and village) views where nature and people coexist in harmony.

Spot Information

• Spot name: My Neighbor Totoro monument
• Address: Seibu Railway Tokorozawa Station (1-14-5 Kusunokidai, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture) Immediately after exiting the east exit
• Access:
• From Tokyo Station: Take the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line to Ikebukuro Station, change to the Seibu Railway Ikebukuro Line and get off at Tokorozawa Station.
• From Shinjuku Station: Take the Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line and get off at Tokorozawa Station
• From Ikebukuro Station: Take the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and get off at Tokorozawa Station
  
  
• Spot name: Sayama Hills
• Access:
• From Tokyo Station: Take the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line to Ikebukuro Station. From Ikebukuro Station, take the Seibu Railway Ikebukuro Line to Nishi-Tokorozawa Station. Then from Nishi-Tokorozawa Station, take the Seibu Railway Sayama Line and get off at Shimo-Yamaguchi Station. From there walk about 10 minutes on foot
• From Shinjuku Station: Take the Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line to Sayama Station. At Sayama Station, change to the Seibu Tamako Line and get off at Tamako Station. From there walk about 3 minutes on foot
• From Ikebukuro Station: Take the Seibu Railway Ikebukuro Line to Nishi-Tokorozawa Station. From Nishi-Tokorozawa Station, take the Seibu Railway Sayama Line and get off at Shimo-Yamaguchi Station. From there walk about 10 minutes on foot
• Admission: Free

Experience the retro Japan of the Showa period

The attraction of Tokorozawa is not only because that it has a deep connection with Totoro. From here, we will introduce the latest hot spots that you should visit when you go to Tokorozawa.

First of all, let's start from "Seibuen Amusement Park". Seibuen Amusement Park is a historic amusement park that opened in 1950, but in May 2021, it underwent a large-scale renewal on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.

The reborn Seibuen Amusement Park is based on the concept of "a world surrounded by a warm feeling of happiness" and the Japanese shopping street of the 1960s is reproduced in the park.

In the park, various live performances are held every day by the residents of the shopping district, which is full of warmth, and guests can enjoy the feeling of being a resident of the shopping district in the Showa period.

At the restaurants in the park, you can enjoy gourmet foods born in the Showa period, such as "Cream Soda" with ice cream floating on soda.

All shopping and meal payments in the park are done in Seibuen currency, so be sure to convert Japanese yen into Seibuen currency when you enter the park.

In addition to old-fashioned attractions such as merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheels, Godzilla and King Ghidorah attacked in the "Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle", an attraction with the theme of the monster "Godzilla" created by Japan in the Showa era. You can also enjoy a thrilling experience.

Spot Information

• Spot name: Seibuen Amusement Park
• Address: 2964 Yamaguchi, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture
• Access:
• From Tokyo Station: Take the JR Chuo Line to Kokubunji Station. Transfer to the Seibu Railway Tamako Line and continue to Tamako Station. From Tamako Station, change to the Seibu Railway Yamaguchi Line and get off at Seibuen Yuenchi Station.
• From Shinjuku Station: Take the Seibu Railway Shinjuku Line to Hagiyama Station. Transfer to the Seibu Railway Tamako Line and continue to Tamako Station. From Tamako Station, change to the Seibu Railway Yamaguchi Line and get off at Seibuen Yuenchi Station.
• From Ikebukuro Station: Take the Seibu Railway Ikebukuro Line to Nishi-Tokorozawa Station. From Nishi-Tokorozawa Station, change to the Seibu Railway Sayama Line to Seibukyujo-mae Station. Change to the Seibu Railway Yamaguchi Line and get off at Seibuen Yuenchi Station.
• Business hours / Closed: Refer to official website
  
• Price: 1-day ticket Adults 4,400 yen, children 3,300 yen. There is also a great plan that comes with Seibuen currency, so check here before purchasing.

Get to know Japanese pop culture

After enjoying retro Japan, why not experience cutting-edge Japanese culture for a change?

In November 2020, Tokorozawa Sakura Town, one of the Japan's largest pop culture transmission bases, was established in Tokorozawa City. This is a complex facility with event halls, restaurants, hotel, etc. Of particular note is the Kadokawa Culture Museum, which is a fusion of a library, an art museum, and a museum.

The stone-like original building of the Kadokawa Culture Museum was created by Kengo Kuma, the world-famous architect who designed the main stadium for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

The highlight of the Kadokawa Culture Museum is the "Bookshelf Theater" on the 4th floor.

The sight of about 30,000 books lined up on a huge bookshelf with a height of about 8m is a masterpiece. Projection mapping is screened regularly here, and you can enjoy the fusion of books and art.

In addition, there is a library with about 35,000 comic books and light novels on the 1st floor, and an anime-themed museum on the 3rd floor.

Spot Information

• Spot name: Kadokawa Culture Museum
• Address: 3-31-3 Higashitokorozawa Wada, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture (within Tokorozawa Sakura Town)
• Access:
• From Tokyo Station: Take the JR Chuo Line to Nishi-Kokubunji Station. At Nishi-Kokubunji Station, change to the JR Musashino Line and get off at Higashi-Tokorozawa Station. From there walk about 10 minutes on foot.
• From Shinjuku Station: Take the JR Saikyo Line to Musashi-Urawa Station. At Musashi-Urawa Station, change to the JR Musashino Line and get off at Higashi-Tokorozawa Station.
• From Ikebukuro Station: Take the Tobu Railway Tojo Line to Asakadai Station. From Asakadai Station, walk to Kita-Asaka Station, change to the JR Musashino Line and get off at Higashi-Tokorozawa Station.
• Business Hours: Sunday-Thursday 10am-6pm, Friday / Saturday 10am-9pm
• Closed: 1st, 3rd, 5th Tuesday of the month (If it is a national holiday, then closed on the next weekday)
• Price: When purchasing a 1-day passport on the day of entry, adults is 4,200 yen (4,600 yen), junior and senior high school students is 3,500 yen (3,900 yen), and elementary school students is 2,600 yen (2,900 yen). *The prices in parentheses are the prices on Saturdays and Sundays. Check here for the prices of advantageous online tickets.

Touch the fantastic art

After enjoy walking around Tokorozawa, when the sun goes down, the place you would want to visit is the Musashino Woods Park, which is adjacent to the Kadokawa Musashino Museum. Works by "teamLab", a group of art artists using technology, are exhibited here.

This work, entitled "teamLab: Resonating Life in the Acorn Forest", comes with egg-shaped objects that get back on their feet along with sound and light when pushed by a person or blown by the wind and collapses.

Why don't you take a fantastic photo while enjoying the mysterious feeling that you became a part of the work of art itself?

Spot Information

• Spot name: teamLab: Resonating Life in the Acorn Forest
• Address: 3-9 Higashitokorozawa Wada, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture (within Musashino Woods Park)
• Access: Same as how to get to Kadokawa Musashino Museum
• Business hours: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Closed: 1st, 3rd, 5th Tuesday of the month (If it is a national holiday, then closed on the next weekday)
• Fees: Adults 1,000 yen (1,200 yen), junior high and high school students 700 yen (800 yen), elementary school students 500 yen (600 yen). *The prices in parentheses are the prices on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.