If you are looking for a peaceful walk in the woods, away from tourists, this is it.
The Institute for Nature Study serves to protect the forests and marshes of Tokyo and has an educational and research function. We have visited several times and find it a wonderful natural refuge right in the city. In the autumn the trees turn lovely colors. In the spring, you can view sakura.
The grounds have gravel paths through the woods. Depending on how much time you wish to spend here you can walk all the paths or circumvent some and take a shorter route. Most of the paths are level, but there are a few slopes. The footing can be uneven, so you do need to take care in places. The forest path to the marsh is a pleasant walk. The marsh is home to several bird species; we have seen white herons fishing in the marsh and several species of ducks paddling about and, of course, turtles.
Two huge, ancient pine trees from the Edo period are worth searching out. Signs highlight significant specimens with interesting information about many of the plants; they also describe the ruined earthen walls of the ancient villa. We used our phone’s translation app to read the signs which were not in English. Some signs had drawings or photos that were self-explanatory. Information about the plants and sights can be found on the Institute’s website.
Visitor tips:
Seniors may enter for free - show your passport
Entry fee ¥320
Access is limited to a maximum number at any given time. You may have to wait until someone leaves before you can enter, but we have never seen more than three or four other people there when we visited.
From the Institute you can also easily visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum and Happo-En on the same busy day, or save one or two of the others for another day.