Machida Yakushiike Park

Machida Yakushiike Park (町田薬師池公園) is located at Machida City in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis. The park was designated as one of the “One Hundred Views of New Tokyo” (1982) and a “designated place of scenic beauty of Tokyo” (1998). In 2007 it was selected as one of the “100 Best Historical Parks in Japan”.

Visitors can enjoy nature all year round with seasonal flowers and trees such as plums, sakura, hydrangeas, Oga lotus (the best time to see them is late July to early August), camellias, autumn leaves etc. Purple and white Japanese irises (2,200 of about 180 varietes) bloom from late May through June.

Inside the park there is a pond with an area of about 8,000 square meters that was originally a cultivated field and turned into an irrigation pond from 1624 to 1643.

In addition, two old folk houses from the Edo period (1603-1867), the former Nagai family residence and former Ogino family residence (before it was the clinic of doctor Ogino) have been relocated here and you can feel the lifestyle of those days. There is also Notsuda-Yakushi-do temple with the statue of Yakushi Nyorai, one of the designated tangible cultural properties of Machida City. The statue is shown to the public from April 10 to May 10 every 12 year.

Τhe park is about 15 minutes by bus from Machida station.

photos: Junko Nagata ©Japanbyweb.com