Large park, numerous toilet buildings. Great place for hiking. Park center building has activities for children, books. Parking is paid.
Since its opening in 1986, it seems to have become a place of relaxation for local residents, but even on holidays, it's not particularly crowded. This might be because the natural environment and ecosystem are preserved as they are, so there isn't much to draw attention to in terms of scenery (there are no artificial flower fields or gardens). The low population density and the fact that many paths are paved make it easy to wander around and get some good exercise (however, the climb up the stairs from Nagakura entrance to the chrysanthemum plaza is long and quite strenuous – a real workout).
It's accessible from Ten'en, Shōto, Nagakura, Kanazawa Bunko, etc.
September 24, 2025
Ofuna Station → Yokohama Cemetery Bus Stop → Cemetery Entrance →
Nature Observation Center → Heike Firefly Wetland →
Japanese Bush Warbler Grassland → Dogwood Valley →
Genji Firefly Valley → Wild Chrysanthemum Square →
Nagakura Entrance → Nagakura-cho Bus Stop → Ofuna Station
Starting from the stairs marked "125 steps" at the Cemetery Entrance, I first visited the center to get a map. I had a long conversation with the staff and rangers, and they taught me many things.
I enjoy walking along waterfronts, so I mainly walked the Dogwood Path, and saw beautiful bodies of water everywhere.
On the mountain path in the Japanese Bush Warbler Grassland, I took a small fork in the path. Was it a Japanese Quail? Or a Turtle Dove? About ten (brown, plump) birds crossed the river one after another, and I found their movements, as they cautiously looked left and right, rather cute.
While walking along the path beside the headwaters of the Itachi River, I noticed a spot where the water surface seemed to sparkle strangely. I approached and took a picture, and the sunlight appeared as mysterious specks of light.
The mountain path to the chrysanthemum field was quite steep from a certain point, involving a considerable number of stairs. After exploring the field, I turned back. At a fork in the path, it seemed to merge with the Rokkoku Pass hiking course, which connects to Sekiya Okumiharashidai and Daimaruyama, but I decided to head back towards Nagakura-guchi, walking along the Itachi River again, as I hadn't walked that route before.
As soon as I entered the cemetery entrance today, I initially felt a slight chill. The dense forest was very cool, and I took off and put away the towel I usually wore around my neck during the sweaty weeks of last week.
It's surprisingly lush and green for Yokohama, and I'm grateful that they maintain it. It's not very crowded.
