From Akishima Station, I walked through Moritown and headed north along Hanamizuki Street. About 150 meters further on, on the left, I found the entrance to the sculpture garden, quietly nestled away.
The garden is a tranquil forest. Wood chips cover the paths through the woods, providing a pleasant cushion.
Nine sculptures are located along these paths. As you walk around each sculpture, the scenery of the trees, flowers, grasses, and insects changes. The sculptures are in the forest, and the sculptures are etched into the forest. With every step, a breeze blows, revealing a different landscape; it's delightful and never gets boring. It's a simple yet complex and rich world.
I only encountered one other person in the garden.
How fortunate I am to have such a wonderful space all to myself, and for free!
You can see the works of the artist, whose sculptures are placed in amazing locations around the world, such as the Vatican City-State in Italy, India, Native American and Indian sacred sites in the United States, and the 9/11 monument in New York. Since it was the garden of the former Okura Hotel, there were also magnificent red pine trees planted there.
Since the hotel closed, the entrance has changed. You can now enter from the road next to the Nichii nursing home (opposite Foster Electric) when you're near the station.
The grounds are fairly spacious, so you can enjoy a pleasant forest bath with only the sounds of birdsong.
However, it seems that maintenance has been neglected, and to put it bluntly, it feels a bit overgrown.
In February 2025, Forest Inn Showakan closed, but Showa no Mori remained open.
It's a small garden behind the hotel, and since it was February, there were hardly any flowers to be seen, but the walkways were covered with wood chips and the garden was well-maintained.
We visited on a holiday afternoon, and by chance we found ourselves alone, enjoying a leisurely stroll among the quiet trees, which was very soothing.
On June 9, 2019, a sculpture garden featuring works by marble sculptor Junkyu Muto (1950-) opened in the wooded area north of the Forest Inn Showakan Hotel (which closed on January 31, 2025). A total of nine works are on display here. (Free admission)
⚠Note⚠ The Forest Inn Showakan Hotel will close until January 31, 2025.
In addition, the Showa no Mori Junkyu Muto Sculpture Garden will be temporarily closed from February 1 to 10, 2025, for maintenance of the garden's promenade.
The entrance to the garden, which previously passed through the hotel, may have changed after February 11, 2025. Please be aware of this.
...I visited in December 2024. The paths through the sculpture garden are covered with wood chips and fallen leaves, leaving a soft feeling underfoot. I was the only one in the expansive garden. I had it all to myself 📸.
The best time to visit might be during the autumn foliage season. (There might be a lot of insects in summer 💧)
There are benches and log seats along the way, so you can take a short break. (⚠ Restrooms are only available inside the hotel.)
Italy, America, India, the Vatican... You can experience the same sculptures from all over the world up close, so I hope you enjoy being surrounded by nature.
* Junkyu Muto graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1973. He later established a studio in Rome and the sculpture town of Pietrasanta, Italy, where he creates marble sculptures with abstract themes.
* The second piece from the entrance, "CIRCLE WIND," was rejected by Google Maps 💧, so I'm posting a photo here.
