Ome Railway Park is located in suburban Tokyo. Mountainside rich in verdant greenery, Ome is a popular place for Tokyoites to escape to nature. There is plenty to do in Ome including, but not limited to, outdoor activities, seasonal scenery and even traditional crafts. For those visiting with children, the Ome Railway Park makes a nice spot for a couple of hours of fun.
Ome Railway Park shows not only another side to Tokyo, but for the traveler from overseas, introduces some of Japan's culture. For example, at the park you can see several rides with bright colorful characters from the popular Japanese cartoon "Anpanman". There are also some rides with characters that overseas travelers are more familiar with, such as Thomas the Tank Engine. There is a mini bullet train ride, and coin operated battery cars. Apart from children's rides they have a couple of larger train rides, including a mini train that goes around part of the park.
The railway park has a selection of out of service trains and carriages, including the front car of the 1969 bullet train. There is a small indoor section in the park too, with dozens of visual exhibits and a large model railway town.
The park costs ¥100 for adults, and children under six years old are not charged. However, please note almost everything else in the park costs money. Most rides are ¥100 each, while some cost ¥200.
Ome Railway Park is open from 10 am to 5.30 pm except in the winter when it closes at 4.30 pm.
Getting there
By public transport: The park is an approximate 12 minute walk from Ome station, on the Ome Line. However, it it is quite a hilly walk. Therefore, if you are pushing a stroller or walking with kids under preschool age, I would add another 5 to 7 minutes to that estimate.
By car: The park is about a 15 minute drive from the Ken-o expressway Ome Interchange. The parking lot is located at the crossroads by the cliff front. Parking is free. There is an area outside the museum that looks like a car park, and some people do use it for that. However, it is actually an official road and parking is not permitted.
Lynda Hogan @lynda.hogan
Lynda has been in Japan for 20 years and blogging about Saitama on her personal blog insaitama.com for 14 of them. Despite its central location, just North of Tokyo, Saitama is still quite unknown to the international tourist, but frequented by domestic travelers. It is a great place to experien...
