Tachikawa
Introduction
Tachikawa is a city in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It covers a compact area of roughly 24 square kilometres, and its population is spread across tens of thousands of households.
Before you go
Before you go, it helps to know that tourist information for this city is limited. The local tourist association runs a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate, so you can navigate it even without reading Japanese. They also produce an English pamphlet, which is worth picking up if you want information in English without relying on machine translation.Getting there
Tachikawa is served by two stations. Tachikawa Station is the main one, and Nishi Tachikawa Station is the other. Downtown Tachikawa is reached by rail: the JR Chuo line, the JR Nambu line, and the Tama Monorail all serve the downtown area.
Getting around
Tachikawa is a rail-first city, and the practical way to move around is to orient yourself on the train and monorail network, use buses for the gaps, and walk within the station districts. Downtown is served by the JR Chuo line, the JR Nambu line, and the Tama Monorail, with Tachikawa Station as the anchor of the whole system. The Chuo line is the backbone of a visit, connecting the city toward central Tokyo; the Ome line serves Tachikawa and Nishi-Tachikawa stations, the Nambu line serves Tachikawa and Nishi-Kunitachi stations, and the Seibu Haijima line serves Tamagawa-Josui, Musashi-Sunagawa and Seibu-Tachikawa stations. The monorail is the key local connector, linking the station area to districts around the city via stops including Sunagawa-Nanaban, Izumi-Taiikukan, Tachihi, Takamatsu, Tachikawa-Kita, Tachikawa-Minami and Shibasaki-Taiikukan — if your destination is not on a JR line, the monorail is likely how you reach it.
Because several operators run here, you will encounter more than one fare system; a rechargeable IC card is accepted across them and spares you buying a paper ticket for every leg. Arriving from central Tokyo on a JR line, you can tap straight through at Tachikawa Station and continue on the monorail or a connecting JR line without leaving the station complex. Buses fill in the residential and riverside parts the rails and monorail do not reach, so plan around the nearest station or monorail stop and take a bus for the final stretch. Taxis are available for short trips that do not line up with the network or for late arrivals. The area around Tachikawa Station is compact and walkable, with department stores and offices right there, while the Tamagawa-josui promenade on both banks north of the city and the Tama River along the Hino boundary are pleasant walking and cycling corridors. Beyond the central districts the city spreads out, so combine walking with rail or bus. Note that Tachikawa has no national expressways or national highways, so do not plan around driving in.
Where to stay
For accommodation in Tachikawa, the Palace Hotel Tachikawa is a business hotel in Akebonocho, reachable on foot in about five minutes via the first-level pedestrian walking bridge. The staff are known for being nice, and many of them speak English, which makes the hotel a practical base if you are navigating the area without much Japanese.
Food & drink
For a quick meal, head to the Granduo complex, where you'll find a good eating area on the sixth and seventh floors. If you're after something more distinctive, Adam's Awesome Pie serves British-style food made by a Japanese chef, with a signature burger that has pieces of apple inside. For an upscale splurge, Muan offers soba kaiseki in an upper-class setting. When you want a drink, County Clare in Akebonocho is an Irish pub where you can settle in for a pint.What to see and do
Showa Kinen Park is the city's signature green space, a vast expanse of seasonal flowers, water features, museums and sports facilities, created on land reclaimed from a former air base. Elsewhere, you can visit Fusaiji Temple, a Buddhist temple, and Suwa Jinja, a Shinto shrine. The Green Belt offers an easy route for walking or cycling, running from Tachikawa North through to Kunitachi. Near the station you'll find several movie theaters and a department store, which tend to get busy at weekends. Tachikawa Racetrack, a short free bus ride from the station, hosts keirin bicycle racing on a banked oval track. Tachikawa Stage Garden is a large event venue with striking architecture and near-daily concerts, and car enthusiasts often make the trip to the Subaru dealership known as Car Do. If you're in town in late July, the Tachikawa Festival brings large fireworks to Showa Kinen Park.When to go
Tachikawa has a humid subtropical climate, so plan around warm, humid summers and cool winters. Summer heat and moisture peak on average in August, and the humidity shapes daytime plans more than anything else. September, coming right after that stretch, is the wettest month of the year, so pack for rain if you visit then.
Winters are cool rather than severe: January is the coldest month on average, but snow is light or absent, so days are chilly instead of snowy and travel is rarely disrupted by winter weather.
Three days in Tachikawa
Day one: Base yourself around Tachikawa Station, the hub where the JR Chuo, JR Nambu and Tama Monorail lines meet. From here you can walk into Downtown Tachikawa and get your bearings. Because signage and announcements are largely in Japanese, keep Google Translate handy on your phone; they may not always have English available. Use an IC card on the JR and monorail lines to move around without buying a ticket each time.
Day two: Head west along the JR Chuo toward Ome, or stay closer and explore Nishi Tachikawa Station and the Nishi area on foot. The Chuo also links Tachikawa with Kunitachi, so you can pair a morning in one with an afternoon in the other. If you prefer the Seibu network, the Haijima and Tamagawa lines open up Josui, Musashi-Sunagawa and Seibu Haijima.
Day three: Ride the Tama Monorail and the JR Nambu line to reach the surrounding districts: Nanaban, Izumi, Taiikukan, Tachihi, Takamatsu, Kita, Minami and Shibasaki. Before you set out, check connections, since the monorail and JR serve different parts of the city. Keep your IC card topped up and you can move between them without fuss.