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Current
status of provision of city parks in Japan |
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Types of city parks |
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Types |
Classification |
Description |
Basic
Parks for Community Use |
City
Block parks |
Those
which are to be placed for the use of most nearby
residents; their standard area is 0.25 ha
per park, and each will be intended to be used
by residents who live within a certain area with
radius of 250m. |
Neighborhood
parks |
Those
which are to be placed for use by residents who
live in the neighborhood; one neighborhood park
will be provided in each neighborhood unit. Their
standard area is 2 ha par park, and each will
be intended for use by residents who live within
a certain catchments area with radius of 500 m. |
Community
parks
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Those
which are to be placed for use by those who live
within walking distance; their standard is 4ha
or more for specific district parks (Specified
community parks) in certain municipalities that
are not covered in urban planning areas. |
Basic
Parks for City Wide Use |
Comprehensive
parks |
Those
which are to be placed for use by all residents
in a city for various purposes, including rest,
walking, playing and sport; their standard area
range from 10 to 50 ha according to the size of
the city. |
Sport
parks |
Those
which are to be placed for use by all residents
in a city mainly for athletic activities; their
standard area range from 15 to 75 ha according
to the size of the city. |
Large
Scaled Parks |
Regional
Parks |
Those
which are placed for the purpose of satisfying
area-wide weekend recreation needs of residents
of more than one municipality. Their standard
area is at least 50 ha and their recreational
facilities are placed organically. |
Recreation
Cities |
Areas
where a variety of recreation facilities are provided
mainly in a large-scale urban park; these cities
aim at meeting area-wide recreation needs of residents
of large cities or other cities, which are constructed
in accordance with a comprehensive city plan.
Total area will be 1,000 ha. |
National
Government Parks |
Large-scaled
parks established by the government for use by
residents of more than one prefecture; their standard
area is at least 300 ha per park; in case these
parks are constructed as the government’s
commemorative project, they should have facilities
suitable for their objectives. |
Buffer
Green Belts |
Specific
Parks |
Special
parks, such as scenic parks, zoos and botanical
parks, historical parks, cemeteries, etc. are
set up in accordance with their objectives. |
Buffer
Green Belts |
Green
belts intended to help prevent or reduce pollutions
like air contamination, noises, vibrations and
bad odors, or to prevent disasters in industrial
complexes, etc. They are provided at locations
where areas with sources of pollution or disasters
and residential or commercial areas must be separated. |
Ornamental
Green Spaces |
Green
Space provided to maintain and improve natural
environment of a city and to better urban landscape,
and their standard area is at least 0.1 ha per
lot; when in an established city area there are
existing woods, etc., or when green belts are
provided to expand green belts by planting trees
for a better urban environment, the standard area
is 0.05 ha or more. |
Greenways |
Green
belts which are mainly composed of passages with
tree plantings, pedestrian ways or cycling courses.
They aim to secure escape roads in an emergency
case. They naturally connect parks to houses,
schools, shopping centers, etc. |
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Note: |
Residential neighborhood
unit = residence unit of about 1km square (surface area of 100ha)
surrounded by arterial streets |
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Surface area such
as city park |
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Trends in city park surface area |
![Trends in city park surface area](images/d_003_2_zu.gif) |
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Steady progress is being made. The total
amount (stock) nationwide of city parks* at the end of FY in
terms of surface area was about 106,370ha, an increase of about 2,500ha
(about 2%) from about 103,865ha at the end of FY 2004. In terms of
number of sites, there were 89,216 sites, an increase of about 2,300
sites from 86,899 sites. City park surface area per person amounted
to about 8.9m2 per person, up from about 8.7m2. However, infrastructure
levels such as city parks are still low in comparison to major cities
in Europe and North America. Efforts are being made to encourage more
parks while addressing various governmental policy issues such as
ongoing responses to disaster prevention and environmental problems.
*(Note): |
City parks refers to city
parks established by the national government or local government
bodies under the City Park Law or to parks conforming to city
park standards established by municipalities that does not have
urban planning districts. |
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Current status of
provision of city parks by classification |
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As of 31 March 2005 |
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No.
of sites |
Surface
area (ha) |
Remarks |
Basic Parks for Community Use |
78,154 |
29,598 |
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City Block parks |
71,612 |
12,101 |
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Neighborhood parks |
4,969 |
8,850 |
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Community parks |
1,573 |
8,647 |
Including Specified community parks |
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(169) |
(1,266) |
The figure within parentheses ( ) indicates Specified
community parks |
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Basic Parks for City Wide Use |
1,973 |
34,350 |
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Comprehensive parks |
1,219 |
22,812 |
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Sport parks |
754 |
11,538 |
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Large Scaled Parks |
190 |
12,420 |
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Regional Parks |
184 |
11,897 |
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Recreation Cities |
6 |
523 |
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Buffer Green Belts |
8,883 |
27,644 |
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Specific Parks |
1,235 |
12,938 |
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Buffer Green Belts |
177 |
1,563 |
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Ornamental Green Spaces |
6,467 |
11,721 |
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Urban grove parks |
83 |
300 |
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Square parks |
242 |
307 |
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Greenways |
679 |
815 |
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National Government Parks |
16 |
2,358 |
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Total |
89,216 |
106,370 |
Infrastructure preparation level: 8.9m2/person |
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Role of government-operated parks
There are two legal classification of Japanese parks, natural parks
and urban parks. Urban parks are created by central government or
local bodies who acquire a certain area of land, and open it for public
use.
However, Natural Parks remain the property of various private individuals,
and the natural landscape beauty is maintained by legislation restricting
land use.
The National Government Parks are large-scaled urban parks provided
and maintained by the Government. |
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List of National
Government Parks (as of the end of October 2005) |
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Park
name |
Location |
URL
of website |
Contact
for enquiries |
Features |
Tel |
Fax |
Musashi
Kyuryo National Governemt Park |
Saitama: Namegawamachi,
Hiki-gun, Kumagaya City |
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/
sinrin/ |
0493-57-2115 |
0493-56-5377 |
Set up in 1967
as part of a project to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, this was
the first national government park in Japan. |
Asuka
Historical National Government Park |
Asukamura, Takaichi-gun,
Nara |
http://www.asuka
-park.gr.jp/ |
0744-54-2662 |
0744-54-2772 |
Set up on the
theme of the "homeland of the Japanese heart,"
this was the first national government historical
park in Japan. |
Yodogawa
Riverside Park |
Osaka: Osaka City,
Neyagawa City, Hirakata City, Moriguchi City, Takatsuki
City, Settsu City Shimamotocho; Kyoto: Yawata City,
Oyamazakicho |
http://www2.kasen.or.jp/ |
072-843-2861 |
072-844-5461 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of the Kinki area (Osaka),
this is a national government park that is a center
for contact with nature taking advantage of large
waterside spaces. |
Uminonakamichi
Seaside National Government Park |
Fukuoka City, Fukuoka |
http://www.uminaka.go.jp/ |
092-603-1111 |
092-603-1114 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of the Kyushu area,
this is a national government park that takes
advantage of its environment surrounded by the
Gulf of Hakata in the Sea of Genkai. |
Okinawa
Commemorative National Government Park |
Okinawa: Motobucho,
Kunigami-gun, Naha City |
http://oki-park.jp
/ocean_park
/default_e.htm
http://oki-park.jp
/shurijo
_park/index_e.htm |
0980-48-3140 |
0980-48-3793 |
Commemorating the
Okinawa Ocean Exposition and Okinawa Revival, this is
a center for tourism and Okinawa culture that takes
advantage of the natural, cultural, and historical legacies
of Okinawa. |
Showa
Kinen National Government Park |
Tokyo: Tachikawa City,
Akishima City |
http://www.showapark.jp
/english/index.htm |
042-524-1516 |
042-526-1466 |
This commemorates
50 years of the reign of the Showa Emperor on the theme
of "Recovering greenery and Enhancing Human Nature." |
Takino
Suzuran Kyuryou National Government Park |
Sapporo City, Hokkaido |
http://www.takinopark.com/ |
011-594-2100 |
011-594-2120 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of Hokkaido, this is
a national government park that takes advantage
of typical Hokkaido scenery highlighting Hokkaido's
image centered on greenery, water, and snow. |
Hitachi
Seaside National Government Park |
Hitachinaka City,
Ibaraki |
http://www.hitachi
kaihin.go.jp/ |
029-265-9411 |
029-265-5378 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of a metropolitan area,
this is a national government park forming the
core of Hitachinaka International Port Park City.
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Kiso
Sansen National Government Park |
Aichi: Ichinomiya
City, Konan City, Inuyama City, Inazawa City, Aisai
City, Yatomi City, Fusocho
Gifu: Kakamigahara City, Hashima City, Kasamatsucho,
Ginancho, Yanaidzu City, Kaizu City
Mie: Kuwana City, Kisosakicho |
http://www.kisosan
senkoen.go.jp
/e/index.html |
0594-24-5719
058-251-1379 |
0594-24-5726
058-251-1564 |
Addressing the wide-area
recreation needs of the Chubu area, this is a city-operated
park that takes advantage of the natural, historical,
and cultural legacies of a three-river area: the Kiso,
the Nagara, and the Ibi Rivers. |
Michinoku
Lakeside National Government Park |
Kawasakimachi, Shibata-gun,
Miyagi |
http://www.thr.mlit.go.jp
/m-park/ |
0224-84-6211 |
0224-84-6214 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of the Tohoku area,
this is a national government park centered on
the theme of "Recovery and Enhancement of
Human Nature" that puts people in contact
with the customs and culture of the Tohoku region.
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Bihoku
Kyuryo National Government Park |
Shobara City, Hiroshima |
http://www.bihoku
-park.go.jp/ |
0824-72-5000 |
0824-72-7532 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of the Chugoku area,
this is a national government park that takes
advantage of the scenery and customs of the area
to serve as a center to put people in touch with
local history and traditional culture. |
Sanuki
Mannou National Government Park |
Mannoucho, Nakatado-gun,
Kagawa |
http://www.mannou
kouen.go.jp/ |
0877-79-2933 |
0877-79-3247 |
Addressing the
wide-area recreation needs of the Shikoku area,
this is a national government park serving as
a center of a regional tourism network focused
on the new era of Shikoku. |
Echigo
Hillside National Government Park |
Nagaoka City, Niigata |
http://www.hrr.mlit.go.jp
/echigo/ |
0258-47-1471 |
0258-47-1472 |
This is the
first national government park on the Honshu side
of the Sea of Japan to address the wide-area recreation
needs of the Hokuriku area. |
Alps
Azumino National Government Park |
Oomachi City, Matsukawa-mura,
Azumino City, Nagano |
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp
/azumino/menu.htm |
0263-83-8671 |
0263-83-8675 |
Progress is being
made in creating parks that take advantage of the nature
and rural culture of Azumino and the mountain scenery
of Japan's Northern Alps. |
Yohinogari
Historical National Government Park |
Higashi-Sefurison,
Mitagawacho, Kanzakimachi, Kanzaki-gun, Saga |
http://www.yoshinogari.jp/ |
0952-53-3902 |
0952-53-3910 |
This is a national
government historical park that preserves and
highlights the Yoshinogari ruins, letting visitors
experience the world related in the "Report
on Japanese" in the Chinese history of the
Wei Dynasty. |
Akashi
Kaikyo National Government Park |
Kobe City, Awaji city,
Hyogo |
http://www.kokuei
akashi.go.jp/ |
078-252-3301 |
078-252-3303 |
Taking advantage of
the presence of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the goals
are "the co-existence of people and nature"
and "exchange between people." |
Tokyo
Rinkai Disaster Prevention National Government Park
Not yet in service |
Koto-ku, Tokyo |
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03-3529-2171 |
03-3529-2173 |
This is Japan's
first a national government disaster prevention
park. It is located in the "Ariake Hills
District," which is a core wide-area disaster
prevention center, in the Tokyo Bay littoral region
(Rinkai), which was the scene of the first decision
on urban renewal project. |
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