Yoyogi Park is a free public park of about 54 ha, open at all hours, 3 minutes' walk from JR Harajuku Station and one Yamanote stop from Shibuya. It has big lawns, fountains, a dog run, a bird sanctuary and the last building of the 1964 Olympic village. It sits next to Meiji Jingu's forest.
Yoyogi Park is free, open at all hours, and 3 minutes’ walk from JR Harajuku Station, which is one stop and 2 minutes from Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It covers about 54 ha, the fifth-largest metropolitan park in Tokyo’s 23 wards, and sits right beside the forest of Meiji Jingu.
Go for the space. After Shibuya Crossing and Takeshita Street, it is the easiest place nearby to lie on grass.
| From | Route | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shibuya | JR Yamanote Line to Harajuku, then walk | 2 min + 3 min walk | ¥155 IC / ¥160 ticket |
| JR Harajuku Station | Walk | 3 min | Free |
| Yoyogi-koen (Chiyoda Line, C02) | Walk | 3 min | |
| Meiji-jingumae (Chiyoda / Fukutoshin, C03 / F15) | Walk | 3 min | |
| Yoyogi-hachiman (Odakyu Line) | Walk | 6 min |
Walk times are the park association’s figures. Fares checked October 2026.
From Shibuya you can also walk. It is the same 15 to 20 minute walk as to Harajuku, and the park is just past the station.
Before the war this was the Imperial Army’s Yoyogi parade ground. The first flight in Japan was made here in 1910, the year after the parade ground opened, by Captains Tokugawa and Hino, and a monument in the park marks it.
After 1945 the US military built a housing area on the site called Washington Heights. It was handed back in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, when it became the athletes’ village. The park opened on 20 October 1967. One building from the village survives: a house used by the Dutch team, which reopened as a cafe on 9 April 2026.
The park comes in two parts. Area A, the main park with the lawns and woods, is in Yoyogi Kamizono-cho, next to Meiji Jingu. Area B is in Jinnan 1 and 2-chome, on the Shibuya side.
The Olympic link does not end with the village house. The Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange, opened in October 1964 for the Olympic swimming and diving events, with basketball in its annex, and it still stands beside the park.
The park’s own list of highlights, from the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association:
There is also a dog run, a cycling centre and a children’s cycling area. The Pedalico Yoyogi cycling centre was temporarily closed in late October 2026, so check before you plan a ride.
On Sundays the park has long drawn rock music fans, jugglers, comedians, martial arts clubs and cosplayers, and the park’s rockabilly dancers were still being photographed there in 2014. Treat any of it as a bonus, not a fixed show.
| Season | What flowers or turns |
|---|---|
| Spring | Somei-Yoshino and Kawazu cherry, kobushi magnolia, dogwood, tulips, mimosa |
| Summer | Hydrangea, crape myrtle, sunflowers, cosmos |
| Autumn | Ginkgo, Japanese maple, osmanthus, roses |
| Winter | Plum, narcissus |
From the park association’s flower calendar.
Cherry blossom is the busiest time. Tokyo’s normal full-bloom date is 31 March, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency; in 2026 the trees were in full bloom on 28 March. Thousands come for hanami picnics, so go early to claim space. For other spots, see Nakameguro and the Meguro River.
The park rents out space for events, flea markets and fairs. One example from the park association’s notices: a Jazz Festival in Yoyogi Park on 3 November 2026. Check the association’s page for what is on during your visit.
No rated GetYourGuide tour is built around Yoyogi Park itself. The closest fit is the Meiji Shrine Walking Tour, a small-group walk of about 90 minutes from Harajuku Station through the shrine forest next door. It does not visit the park, but you can walk over afterwards.
A relaxed half day: Meiji Jingu early, then Yoyogi Park for a picnic, then Takeshita Street and back to Shibuya by train or along Cat Street. See the Harajuku guide for the walking route and things to do in Shibuya for the evening.
1.5 hours
A small-group walk from Harajuku Station under the great torii, past the sake and wine barrels to the main shrine, explaining Shinto and the imperial line, with a tea stop at the forest cafe.
from$10
Check availability4 hours
A private half day across west Tokyo by train and on foot: Meiji Jingu, Takeshita Street and Cat Street, the Shibuya Crossing, then on to Shinjuku, with an optional animal cafe stop.
from$128
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Yes. Entry to Yoyogi Park is free and the park is open at all hours, every day. A few facilities charge, such as the car park with 65 spaces. The park's service centre and some facilities close over the New Year holiday, but the park itself stays open (checked October 2026).
Take the JR Yamanote Line one stop to Harajuku, 2 minutes and ¥155 with an IC card (checked October 2026), then walk 3 minutes. Yoyogi-koen and Meiji-jingumae stations on the Tokyo Metro are also 3 minutes away. On foot from Shibuya Station it is roughly 15 to 20 minutes north, the same walk as to Harajuku.
Mostly sit, walk and watch. There are big lawns, three fountains up to 30 m high, a zelkova avenue, a dog run, a cycling centre and a fenced bird sanctuary. History fans can find the only surviving building of the 1964 Olympic athletes' village, now a cafe, and a monument to Japan's first flight, made here in 1910.
Yes. Somei-Yoshino and Kawazu cherry are among the park's spring flowers, and thousands of people come for hanami picnics each spring. Tokyo's normal full-bloom date is 31 March (JMA). It gets crowded at peak bloom, so arrive early to find space on the grass.
They sit side by side but are separate places. Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine in a dense 70 ha forest, open sunrise to sunset, where sports and picnics are not allowed. Yoyogi Park is a public park of about 54 ha with lawns and sports grounds, open at all hours. Many visitors combine the two in one morning.
Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) is free to enter and open every day from sunrise to sunset: 5:40 to 16:40 in October, 6:10 to 16:10 in November.
Harajuku is the district one JR Yamanote stop north of Shibuya: 2 minutes by train for ¥155 on an IC card, or 15 to 20 minutes on foot.
Takeshita Street is a pedestrian shopping lane of about 400 m that starts opposite the Takeshita exit of JR Harajuku Station, one Yamanote stop and 2 minutes from Shibuya.
Most visitors to Shibuya come for the Scramble Crossing and the Hachiko statue, then go up SHIBUYA SKY, which costs ¥2,700 online before 15:00.