Chiba Prefectural Kashiwa-no-ha Park is a large prefectural urban park located in Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture. Combining abundant greenery with sports facilities, cultural spaces, and recreational areas, the park serves as a popular destination for both local residents and visitors.
With spacious lawns, wooded areas, seasonal flowers, Japanese gardens, sports facilities, and event spaces, Kashiwa-no-ha Park offers a wide variety of ways to enjoy nature and leisure within an urban environment.
Kashiwa-no-ha Park features expansive grassy areas, forests filled with a variety of trees, and flowerbeds that add seasonal color throughout the year. The park has been developed as a local center for “greenery, sports, and culture,” with facilities designed for a wide range of activities.
Sports enthusiasts can make use of the athletic stadium, community gymnasium, baseball field, and tennis courts. The park is also suitable for families and visitors simply looking for a relaxing place to spend time outdoors.
For those interested in Japanese culture, the park has a traditional Japanese garden and the tea house Shōhaku-tei, where visitors can experience a quieter side of Japanese aesthetics.
A variety of workshops, sporting activities, and cultural events are held throughout the year. The park plays an important role as a center for community activities in Kashiwa.
Among the major seasonal events are the spring Spring Festa and Children’s Festival and the autumn Flowers and Greenery Festival. These large-scale events attract tens of thousands of people and bring a lively atmosphere to the park.
The park also has a registered dog run, which is particularly popular with dog owners and attracts many visitors even on weekdays.
In December 2022, Chiba Prefecture selected a business group led by Daiwa Lease Co., Ltd. as the new operator under its project to develop, manage, and operate Kashiwa-no-ha Park.
Future improvements are planned to include new facilities such as cafés, barbecue areas, rest facilities, and additional lawn spaces, further expanding the ways visitors can enjoy the park.
The land where Kashiwa-no-ha Park now stands was once used as a military site by the former Imperial Japanese Army’s Eastern 105th Unit.
The area was also home to Kashiwa Airfield, where Japan’s first rocket-powered fighter aircraft, the Shūsui, was stationed. After World War II, the site was used by the U.S. military as the Kashiwa Communications Station.
In 1981, Chiba Prefecture, Kashiwa City, and the Japanese government reached an agreement concerning the future use of the former military site. Parts of the land were subsequently developed for educational and research purposes, including the University of Tokyo’s Kashiwa Campus and what is now the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences of Chiba University.
At the same time, plans were developed to transform part of the former military land into a large public park, eventually creating Kashiwa-no-ha Park.
One of the park’s central facilities is the Kashiwa-no-ha Park General Stadium.
The stadium was originally planned to host competitions on a community scale. However, consideration was later given to using the facility as a home stadium for Kashiwa Reysol, the local professional soccer club that was aiming to enter the J.League. As a result, the design was changed to increase the planned capacity from 15,000 to 20,000 spectators.
Construction began in 1996, and the stadium was completed in April 1999.
Various recreational facilities were developed around the park alongside the stadium. These include the Sakura Plaza, where visitors can enjoy cherry blossoms in spring; the Rose Garden, designed as a beautiful Western-style garden; and the Japanese garden known as Makinohara-en.
The park also features a boating pond and an outdoor event stage, providing additional opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and community gatherings.
The Kashiwa-no-ha Park Baseball Stadium officially opened in April 2010.
In July of the same year, a professional baseball game between the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Yomiuri Giants was held there as an Eastern League official game. It was the first professional baseball game held in Kashiwa City.
The facility was also used as a tennis venue for the National Sports Festival of Japan in 2010.
The name “Kashiwa-no-ha” comes from the leaves of the Japanese kashiwa oak. Unlike many deciduous trees, kashiwa leaves can remain on the branches through the winter and stay there until new leaves begin to grow in spring.
This characteristic came to symbolize continuity and new growth. The name was given in 1985 by Hirotaka Saito, who was then vice principal of Kashiwa City Tanaka-Kita Elementary School.
The park is approximately a 20-minute walk from Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station on the Tsukuba Express Line.
From the West Exit of JR East and Tobu Railway’s Kashiwa Station, take a Tobu Bus bound for the National Cancer Center or Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station West Exit and get off at Kashiwa-no-ha Park Chuo.
From the West Exit of Kashiwa-no-ha Campus Station, take a Tobu Bus bound for Kashiwa Station West Exit or Takada Garage and get off at Kashiwa-no-ha Park Chuo.
Kashiwa-no-ha Park can be reached from the Kashiwa Interchange on the Joban Expressway. The park is also located along National Route 16.
Paid parking is available within the park. The first and second parking lots together provide space for approximately 1,100 vehicles.
Parking spaces are also available for large vehicles and visitors with disabilities, making the park convenient for a wide range of visitors arriving by car.
Chiba Prefectural Kashiwa-no-ha Park is much more than a conventional city park. Its extensive greenery, sports facilities, gardens, cultural spaces, and seasonal events create a diverse destination where visitors can enjoy both active recreation and peaceful relaxation.
The park’s history is also distinctive, as the present-day landscape was developed on land that once served military purposes. Today, the former site has been transformed into a place for nature, sports, culture, education, and community life.
Whether you want to enjoy cherry blossoms and roses, explore a Japanese garden, play sports, attend a local festival, have a barbecue, or simply relax beneath the trees, Kashiwa-no-ha Park offers an accessible introduction to the green spaces and recreational culture of modern Chiba.