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Voykit pocket guide · 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.
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.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 立川市
- Best months
- Mar–May (cherry and tulips), Oct–Nov (cosmos, autumn colour)
- Avoid
- Aug (heat and humidity), late Jul for the festival crush
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–17,000 excl. bed · High ¥17,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English) 050-3816-2787
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a station café | ¥400–700 |
| Noodle soup (soba or ramen) | ¥800–1,300 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥500–800 / ¥250–350 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥2,000–2,600 |
| JR ride within west Tokyo | ¥180–500 (check) |
| Showa Kinen Park entry, adult | about ¥450 (check) |
| Department-store lunch set | ¥1,000–1,800 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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)
Typical fares
- JR Chuo line, Tachikawa → Shinjuku
- about ¥500, 35 min (check)
- Tama Monorail, Tachikawa-Kita → Tama Center
- about ¥400, 25 min (check)
- Taxi Tachikawa Station → Showa Kinen Park
- ¥1,200–1,800
Get 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 and do
Known for
- Showa Kinen Park
- Keirin bicycle racing at Tachikawa Racetrack
- JR Chuo line hub for west Tokyo
- Tama Monorail to Tama and Haijima
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Takao | JR Chuo line to Takao, then Keio line to Takaosanguchi, or bus from Takao station | About 1 h 15 min |
| Kichijoji and Inokashira Park | JR Chuo line westbound, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Hachioji | JR Chuo line westbound, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Machida | JR Nambu line to Fuchu-Honmachi, then JR Musashino line, or Chuo line to Shinjuku and Odakyu | 1 h 15 min–1 h 30 min |
| Chofu and Jindaiji Temple | JR Nambu line to Bubaigawara, then Keio line to Chofu, then bus | About 1 h |
| Musashino and Mitaka | JR Chuo line eastbound, about 20 min | About 30 min |
Sleep
- 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.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Tachikawa yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Showa Kinen Park
- Keirin bicycle racing at Tachikawa Racetrack
- JR Chuo line hub for west Tokyo
- Tama Monorail to Tama and Haijima
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tachikawa City official site: www.city.tachikawa.lg.jp/
- Showa Kinen Park official site: www.showakinen-koen.jp/
- Tachikawa tourist association: tokyo-tachikawa.org/
- JR East: www.jreast.co.jp/e/
- Wikivoyage: Tachikawa, revision 5306359 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5306359
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Tachikawa立川市
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police110
- Fire and ambulance119
- Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787
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).
The local tourist association publishes a Japanese guide site and an English pamphlet (check).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/tachikawa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.