Naritasan Park
Naritasan Park Model Route
Standing 58 m tall, the Great Pagoda of Peace (Heiwa Daito) is just past the Great Main Hall (Daihondo) of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. The pagoda stands at the entrance of the beautiful Naritasan Park.
View of the Great Pagoda of Peace from Shusse Inari Shrine
Entrance to Naritasan Park, to the right of the Daihondo Hall
The Great Pagoda of Peace. The Western-style garden below the pagoda is a popular area where visitors can relax.
Naritasan Park is an expansive 165,000 m2 of natural beauty. Strolling through the park is a wonderful opportunity to exercise, relax, and breath in the pure air. The park has something to offer in each season: fresh new leaves in the spring, cicadas in the summer, bright autumn colors, and snow in the winter.
It's easy to forget the beauty right before our eyes.
Naritasan Park is there to remind visitors of nature and life.
The park is brimming with plants and living things, exemplifying the Buddhist ideal of respect for all forms of life. The park's three ponds symbolize hojo (release and let live), and the entirety of the park nurtures the concept of fusessho (nonkilling), valuing peace and honoring life.
Yuhi no Taki Falls
Springtime Floating Gazebo
Floating Gazebo in early fall
At the foot of the stairs close to Komyodo is the Yuhi no Taki Falls. Amidst the forest trees, the falls splash down a rocky mountain face with beams of sunlight glistening off its waters.
The park's three ponds are named Ryuchi, Ryuju, and Monju. In the center of Ryuichi pond is a floating gazebo, a favorite scenic spot where visitors can look down at colorful koi carp. If you reach a hand out to the water or offer fish food, all the koi will gather in an instant.
Ryuju Pond, the second pond, in the summer (left) and autumn (right)
The scenic view from the pond offers a moment of calm.
Nearby the Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy is a special spot called suikinkutsu. Put an ear to the bamboo pole here, and sounds of water dripping from under the ground will echo up. The water droplets hit a basin of water in the bottom of the pit, and the sounds resonate in an earthenware pot above the basin. The sounds are reminiscent of a strummed koto (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument).
There are stone monuments in various locations in the park. Some of these monuments are carved with haiku (a type of traditional Japanese poetry) by Japanese poets like Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) and Takahama Kyoshi (1874–1959). They speak to a time when master poets and lyricist gathered in Narita, serving as reminders of the area’s cultural and intellectual vibrancy.
To learn more about Suzuki Miekichi, click here.
Monument to the novelist Suzuki Miekichi (1882–1936)
Naritasan Park holds seasonal festivals for visitors, including the Narita Plum Tree Festival in spring and Naritasan Autumnal Leaves Festival. Within the park are over 250 trees, plum, cherry blossom, wisteria, oaks, and gingkos, which bloom white, red, pink, and green in season. The sight of the leaves changing from green to red in the autumn is stunning and makes this a prime spot in the Tokyo area to view autumnal colors. Koto (Japanese harp) and niko (a two-stringed musical instrument) performances during this time are definitely worth seeing.
Tea ceremonies are performed periodically in the park. During the Narita Plum Tree Festival, visitors can sip tea under blue skies among the blooming trees. During the Naritasan Autumnal Leaves Festival, tea ceremonies are held in the park's teahouse, Sekishoan. All events are free for visitors so that everyone can enjoy Naritasan Park to its fullest throughout the year.