Innovative planners in Tokyo’s Meguro ward have created a park for nearby residents and visitors that sits on top of a busy highway junction.
The Ohashi Junction is itself a new construction completed in 2010 to help ease congestion in the centre of Tokyo. The park was always intended as a part of the project, and many are pleased that the plans have finally come to fruition.
Entrance to the park is free, and on a clear day, you might even be able to see Mount Fuji….
From MSN Sankei News:
Park Built On Top Of Highway Junction In Meguro Ward, Tokyo
On March 30, the city council opened “Meguro Sky Park”, a public park on top of the Shuto Expressway Ohashi junction, in Meguro ward, Tokyo. The park’s rare loop shape follows the shape of the highway junction below, it is 400 metres long, and varies in width from 16-24 metres. The difference in elevation is 24 metres, with the highest point above street level being over 35 metres. On a clear day it is expected that you will be able to see Mount Fuji.
Admission for the park is free. Visitors enter the park via the elevator in the adjacent apartment complex or a pedestrian bridge. There have been around 1,000 trees and shrubs planted in the park, among them is the shidare sakura (weeping cherry blossoms), pine trees and a grapevine trellis for the local residents to make their own wine. The ward borrowed the rooftop at no cost to prepare the project. It cost approximately 10.8 billion yen.
Ohashi junction, which connects the Shuto Expressway with the Central Circular Route, has had construction works to provide it with walls and a roof as a noise counter-measure.
Comments from Naver Matome:
ebashi !@petsounds99:
This is the connecting part of the Meguro Sky Park. Looking down gives you a fright. pic.twitter.com/BVNazHvT1f
フクロウ@fukurou2010@:
This is cool!
無限の彼方@hjk0999:
Today’s topic: ‘Meguro Sky Park: the park floating in the sky, on top of the highway junction.’ This city park is, weird. There’s worry over the exorbitant costs of an oasis built in the midst of a concrete jungle.
松尾たいこ@taikomatsuo:
Wahhhh I wanna go
iemvmei@iemvmei:
The spectacle of it is reminiscent of a computer game, but it looks as if the maintenance cost would be high.
切羽@q_0w0_p:
Sky Park, I’m intrigued.
くない こうあかつき@velzebal:
As you’d expect, Japanese construction is amazing. But from a foreigner’s perspective, they apparently don’t like cityscapes, and it seems like they’re not in-keeping with Japanese culture… (They apparently like cities like Kyoto).
Comments from Twitter:
ベンリー:
I wanna go see it!
Qdqd2:
This is interesting. I want to go! I’m not sure if it’s greenery business or what…
Hideaki Takahashi:
So they finished it! “Skypark”
OZさん:
Lovely!
ひさこ:
Woooooow〜
荒木 辰記:
It’s great to use this kind of space like this!
くどう:
I’d like them to install these parks in the same way on top of all the highways in the country.
マングース本間:
So the top of the Ohashi Junction, which I use from time to time, there’s this, huh? It looks pretty clever.
てん＞ε＜:
Waaaaaaah I wanna go!!
turt＠かめちゃん:
Looks like fun! RT @ICEMAN_YS: I want to go.
Koita:
I’m a bit concerned about stuff like this.
如月陽（マルセル）:
Wow, there are still lots of things being done in Tokyo…
Kan:
I’m going to go and check it out.
ueponne:
It has grapevine trellises that residents can use to make wine…
