toneri park nightwalk : April 4 2025

April 2025 · 6 min read · Adachi

that night just looked perfect for a nightwalk. and i had the hardest time deciding where to go. a couple of walking routes came to mind, but the thought of the probability of having many closed places along those routes fogged my mind. of course i want my nightwalk to be nothing but the best; i am already limited by not having the clearest photos in the dark so i would rather have a more interesting walk.

so i finally decided to go up north, crossing not one but two rivers. a housemate shared that there was a large park where it was possible to have an open barbecue. i have always wanted to go, i have not explored farther up north that much.

the first of the two rivers came after some time, this was the sumida river and i am pretty sure i have mentioned this name in a couple of posts already. it is just inevitable, this was the closest after all, and interesting walks happen near the water just like how our human ancestors initially gathered near bodies of water.

immediately after that, the second river came quick, the arakawa river. i originally wanted to take more pictures but this was a larger river; thus, a longer bridge spanned over it. it was much more shaky when vehicles pass over, that scared me a bit. ignoring the photowalk, i hurried my walk instead.

the next portion was this walk on the river banks, it was dark without any light. i only had the sky and the nearby highway to illuminate the path. that cloud over there looked like an insect flying so fast leaving a trail just like how jet planes do. my imagination has definitely gone wild.

the next parts were a series of small parks. tokyo never leaves out green spaces during urban planning. parks help with stress, and i think tokyo knows how stressful living in it is.

i think i have passed by around five more parks on the way. these were small parks but enough to cool down and have some fun. kids would love these for sure, and japan needs more of them. these would surely increase quality of life.

it was already quite a long walk and i think i'm getting close.

yes we are here. the park was beside a train station which makes it easier to access. that took me around 2 hours to reach, far was not an understatement. on my way home i think it would be best to ride the train instead, i wanted to reach home before midnight. plus, walking on those bridges gave me the chills, physically and figuratively.

Toneri Park (舎人公園)

it is a public park in adachi ward, opened in 1981 this park is the 3rd largest in the 23 special wards of tokyo at around 649 thousand sq meters (approximately 65 hectares).

i was very unsure of what to do the moment i reached the park, it seemed that the hanami light-up was over or that there was nothing at all. the fountain was not running and the supposed water works had an "under construction" sign. it seemed like a wrong idea.

but at least there were flowers, the usual ones abundant in this season. and there were a couple of people enjoying the benches and some fitness junkies jogging. i figured that it will be fine, but my mind was thinking of the ways horror movie characters were wrong in their quests, those must not be followed.

the central fountain had a pretty decoration. this would look greater if the lights were on. but one thing i noticed, the park had a very wide and open feel. i guess those leafless trees added to the illusion.

the park had an alley filled with cherry blossoms and most of them were still in their pretty state, untouched and unharmed. i found at least two groups of hanami goers. but i was not really here for the flowers, i was more interested of the lake in the middle.

because there was no light, i found it difficult to navigate to the path directly touching the lake. there was a path, google maps said so, but i suppose it was a rough path and one i found had water puddles in it.

but just look at that scene! the lake area was very serene, the path was hard to find so no one was there except me. i hoped for some animals, birds perhaps. they were sleeping by this time for sure cooped somewhere safe.

i completely circled that pond, those still waters added to its charms. but some parts were dark. this looked like a horror movie scene. do you guys know "friday the 13th"? anytime soon freddie will jump out of the water.

i crossed thw other side of the park, skaterboys were playing there. this side seemed more protected, more nature driven. there were lots of pictures showing which birds and plants could be seen in the area. this area too had a pond, and wood ducks were floating and observing my every move. i wasn't there to disturb them in their sanctuary so i silently walked away.

at the far side was a jungle adventure type playground, closed. it must have been fun trying out the things in there, but i was also not sure if adults are even allowed inside. the barbecue utensils renting building was also there.

after circling that part, i finally decided to go home. this time, riding a train as earlier specified. it was past 11pm, getting colder by the minute. seated in front, those scenes outside the tracks were irresistable. this was probably a monorail.