Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · Japan

Tachikawa立川市

Base here only if you want Showa Kinen Park and a cheap bed 35 min from Shinjuku; otherwise day-trip it. One night is enough.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Mar–May (cherry and tulips), Oct–Nov (cosmos, autumn colour)
avoid Aug (heat and humidity), late Jul for the festival crush
Airports
HND · NRT
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Tachikawa is a west-Tokyo commuter hub on the JR Chuo line, about 35 minutes from Shinjuku. Its one big draw is Showa Kinen Park, 160 hectares of lawns, seasonal flowers and bike paths on land taken from a US air base. The rest is a normal Japanese city: department stores by the station, a keirin velodrome, a temple and a shrine. It works as a cheap, quiet base for west Tokyo and Mount Takao, not as a sightseeing destination in itself.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Tachikawa, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee at a station café¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup (soba or ramen)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
  • Beerdraught in a bar / can at a convenience store¥500–800 (≈ US$4–6)¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxiLate-night surcharge after 22:00.¥2,000–2,600 (≈ US$14–18)
  • Metro or bus rideJR ride within west Tokyo¥180–500 (≈ US$2–4) (check)
  • Budget bedHostel or capsule bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥14,000 (≈ US$95)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥28,000 (≈ US$190)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥6,000 (≈ US$45) · Mid ¥11,000 (≈ US$75) · High ¥20,000 (≈ US$140)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Showa Kinen ParkKeirin bicycle racing at Tachikawa RacetrackJR Chuo line hub for west TokyoTama Monorail to Tama and Haijima
Airports
HND Haneda (Limousine bus to Tachikawa station in about 1 h 30 min; by rail, Keikyu to Shinagawa then JR to Shinjuku and the Chuo line (check)) · NRT Narita (Narita Express to Shinjuku, then JR Chuo line; allow 2 h 30 min–3 h door to door (check))

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Tachikawa: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

10°C

1°C

5 rd

Feb

11°C

2°C

6 rd

Mar

14°C

5°C

10 rd

Apr

20°C

10°C

10 rd

May

24°C

15°C

11 rd

Jun

27°C

19°C

13 rd

Jul

31°C

23°C

12 rd

Aug

33°C

24°C

9 rd

Sep

28°C

21°C

12 rd

Oct

22°C

14°C

10 rd

Nov

17°C

8°C

7 rd

Dec

12°C

3°C

5 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk the station area; everything else is on the JR Chuo line, the JR Nambu line or the Tama Monorail, all from Tachikawa Station. Showa Kinen Park has its own stop on the JR Chuo line (Nishi-Tachikawa) and a monorail stop at Tachikawa-Kita. Buses run from the north exit to the park gates and the racetrack.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Mount Takaogo

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

JR Chuo line to Takao, then Keio line to Takaosanguchi, or bus from Takao station

Go on a weekday; the cable car queue on autumn weekends runs over an hour.

Kichijoji and Inokashira Parkgo

Door to door: About 20 min

JR Chuo line westbound, about 15 min

Half day: park, then the covered shopping streets north of the station.

Hachiojigo

Door to door: About 20 min

JR Chuo line westbound, about 15 min

Useful for the Takao trailhead and a cheaper bed than central Tokyo.

Machidacaution

Door to door: 1 h 15 min–1 h 30 min

JR Nambu line to Fuchu-Honmachi, then JR Musashino line, or Chuo line to Shinjuku and Odakyu

Slow cross-town run; only worth it if you have a reason to be in Machida.

Chofu and Jindaiji Temple

go

Door to door: About 1 h

JR Nambu line to Bubaigawara, then Keio line to Chofu, then bus

Temple, soba shops and the Jindai Botanical Gardens in one half day.

Musashino and Mitaka

caution

Door to door: About 30 min

JR Chuo line eastbound, about 20 min

Mostly residential; the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka needs a dated ticket booked ahead.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

North exit of Tachikawa Station

Department stores, the monorail and most business hotels; 3–8 min on foot with bags.

South exit / Akebonocho

Bars, the Irish pub strip and the Palace Hotel; 5 min across the pedestrian bridge.

Around Showa Kinen Park

Quieter and greener, but 15–25 min from the station on foot; only worth it if the park is your whole trip.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥6,000–10,000 (≈ US$45–70) excl. bed
Mid
¥10,000–17,000 (≈ US$70–120) excl. bed
High
¥17,000 (≈ US$120)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 1 night × ¥14,000¥14,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ¥11,000¥22,000
JR Chuo line, Tachikawa to Shinjuku, one way2 × ¥500 · check¥1,000
Showa Kinen Park entry, adult2 × ¥450 · check¥900
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥4,290
Trip total≈ ¥23,600 per person per day, bed included¥47,190≈ US$350

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee at a station café¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
Noodle soup (soba or ramen)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store¥500–800 (≈ US$4–6) / ¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
5 km taxiLate-night surcharge after 22:00.¥2,000–2,600 (≈ US$14–18)
JR ride within west Tokyo¥180–500 (≈ US$2–4) (check)
Showa Kinen Park entry, adultabout ¥450 (≈ US$4) (check)
Department-store lunch set¥1,000–1,800 (≈ US$7–13)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Very safe by any big-city standard; the real risks are summer heat in the park, bicycles on the Green Belt path and last-train crowding on the Chuo line.
  • Keirin is a gambling sport: the velodrome is a betting venue, not a family attraction, and race days only.
  • Showa Kinen Park charges entry and closes at set hours; the free Green Belt path along the north edge does not.
  • Summer heat in the park is serious: little shade on the big lawns, few water points.
  • Late-night last trains from Shinjuku fill up; the last Chuo line trains are standing-room only.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119
Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO, 24 h, English)
050-3816-2787

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Tachikawa立川市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119
  • Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787

Embassy

No embassies in Tachikawa; most are in central Tokyo. The US embassy is in Akasaka, and the Tachikawa immigration branch handles residence paperwork only (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • JR Chuo line, Tachikawa → Shinjuku: about ¥500 (≈ US$4), 35 min (check)
  • Tama Monorail, Tachikawa-Kita → Tama Center: about ¥400 (≈ US$3), 25 min (check)
  • Taxi Tachikawa Station → Showa Kinen Park: ¥1,200–1,800 (≈ US$9–13)

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • これをください — This one, please (kore o kudasai)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

The local tourist association publishes a Japanese guide site and an English pamphlet (check).

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Tachikawa. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May (cherry and tulips), Oct–Nov (cosmos, autumn colour) · avoid Aug (heat and humidity), late Jul for the festival crush · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HND and NRT: last Chuo line departures from Shinjuku field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: north exit, south exit and Akebonocho, Showa Kinen Park gates, the racetrack.
  3. Place pages with verified hours and entry (Showa Kinen Park, Fusaiji, Suwa Jinja, Tachikawa Stage Garden) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Golden and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources