Tokyo¡¯s clear skies and piercing sunshine can make even the frostiest of winter walks surprisingly pleasant. Knowing this, I get off the Tokyu Oimachi Line at Togoshi-koen Station, thinking to track down the park for which it is named.
The morning is windy and ice-bright as I head northwest. Eight minutes into my walk through residential backstreets, I realize that I haven¡¯t encountered a single living soul. Eight minutes of nobody in Tokyo is worth comment. I wonder if the cold has kept everyone inside.
A quick map check reveals that I¡¯m near two parks: (Library Forest), and . I pass Bunko no Mori first, but it¡¯s a deserted and somewhat desolate patch of grass, so I head on. Locating Togoshi, I can tell from the outside that this is the prettier of the two, but clearly the more high-maintenance. Aside from an impressive Japanese-style gate, Togoshi Park¡¯s entrance is marked by elegant pines trussed up with yukizuri (ropes tied to prevent heavy snow from damaging branches) and hand-knotted bamboo fences. This is no dime-a-dozen city park.
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