Zenpukuji Kōen

(4.5÷5 stars)
Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ⁹⁴⁄₁₀₀; Countdown ⁴⁄₁₀!)
In my Unilocal explorations, I’ve had several chances to pass through this famous, old park in the middle of residential areas north of and between Nishi Ogikubo and Kichijoji stations on the JR Chuo line, so I decided a review is in order.
Expectations towards public parks vary depending on location and area covered. Zenpukuji Park has been around for quite a long time, and covers a long, snaking area while winding through old neighborhoods and providing much needed greenbelt relief across a landscape covered with residential dwellings and low-​rise office buildings.
Highlights:
+ Layout: ⁴⁄₅ stars (the winding, snaking confines of the park make it seem more spacious than it really is, but accents of ponds, lakes, rivers and LOTS of trees make it a very pleasant place to walk through and enjoy the seasonal changes of scenery)
+ Facilities: 3.5÷5 (your standard restrooms, lots of benches and picnic tables in certain areas; childrens’ playground equipment is also installed in some areas that have open space for this)
+ Access: 3.5÷5 (most visitors either live nearby or come by bicycle; if you’re using public transportation, it may be tricky to figure out which bus to catch from Nishi Ogikubo or Kichijoji, depending on which part of the park is your destination)
+ Extras: ⁴⁄₅ — see below
— Boat Rental (separate spot): In the western part of the park, rowboats are available for rent on weekends — great to see the expansive pond in that part of the park
— Museum: 3.5÷5 (there’s a small museum featuring art works of local citizens and civic groups; rotating exhibits; located about 80 meters to the west of the boat rental dock, on the north side of the pond)
— Sakura viewing: 4.5÷5 (during the spring sakura season, there are plenty of opportunities to see the cherry trees in full bloom throughout the park. Many are planted so their long flowing branches reach out over the water, providing beautiful views and great photo opps
This park is so big that I haven’t explored all of it yet, especially the section to the northwest. I’ll update this review after making my way there. In the meantime, it’s a nice, quiet place to contemplate life while viewing the natural scenery.