Koganei

Koganei ( Koganei-shi) is a city in western Tokyo.

Understand

By train, take the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku west for thirty minutes.

Koganei Park (小金井公園), Sekinomachi 1-13-1 (the closest station is JR Hanakoganei; from that station, and others in the area, there are buses that go to the park; it's a long walk, even from the nearest station), 35.714444°, 139.518889°, +81 42-385-5611. 24 hr daily. This is a very large park with many different attractions. There are fields for throwing frisbees, barbeque pits for rent, free outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball fields, large open areas for picnicing, and other such park-like attractions. The park is popular whenever the weather is good. It's also a good spot in February for plum blossom viewing and March for cherry blossom viewing. It is registered as one of Japan's top 100 cherry blossom spots. Free

Ganma, 35.7032°, 139.5221°. A small, bright, and shiny ramen shop specializing in tonkotsu ramen.
Patisserie Dounel (パティスリードゥネル), 鈴木町2-865-19 (walk south from Hanakoganei Station for about 10 minutes; it's just NW of Koganei Park), 35.7204423°, 139.5092128°, +81 42-401-2952. This bakery does a wide range of things: croissants, cakes, Japanese sweet biscuits, and finely detailed chocolate. There are a few tables for seating. Coffee and tea are available.
Ramen Jiro Musashikoganei (ラーメン二郎武蔵小金井), 35.708427°, 139.496208°, +81 42-387-4140. Jiro is a kind of ramen that some people feel qualifies as its own food group. Expect the bowl to be piled amazingly high with bean sprouts and pork. For flavor, garlic is applied with seemingly reckless abandon. Because the toppings sit above the warm broth, proper eating technique involves moving them around on your bowl so you can access the noodles and broth below. The regular size bowl here is gigantic. Walking to the station after eating it could prove difficult. When you arrive, purchase your ticket from the machine and sit in line along the back wall until a chair opens up. 2015-10-05