Sightseeing in Metropolitan Sayama Natural Park

Murayama Reservoir, commonly called Lake Tama, is a water supply reservoir constructed between 1916 and 1927. Its circumference is 16.7 kilometers (10.4 miles), and it has been selected as one of the 100 Views of New Tokyo and as one of the 20 Views of Higashi-Yamato. Because it is one of the most valuable sources of water for Tokyo, the surrounding areas are protected as preserved forest land for recharging water sources. The area around the reservoir is home to mixed forests, and is also known as a great spot for enjoying cherry blossoms and autumn foliage. Many people visit the reservoir for bird watching and to see the ruins of houses from the Jomon period (14,000–300 BCE). The reservoir is about a ten-minute walk from Musashi-Yamato Station on the Seibu Tamako Line.

http://www.city.higashiyamato.lg.jp/index.cfm/（外部サイト）

http://www.sayamaparks.com/sayama/（外部サイト）

This park is located at the western end of Sayama Prefectural Natural Park. The lush nature in the park includes mixed forests and deep valleys that cut into the hills. Inside the park, you can experience the satoyama lifestyle—a traditional method of living in the upland valley and cultivating the lower slopes of the mountains. The satoyama-style landscapes in the park include a satoyama house with a thatched roof, rice paddies, dogtooth violet colonies, and firefly habitats. Visitors can enjoy hiking, bird watching, and nostalgic leisure activities, such as experiencing satoyama culture and playing in the woods. To reach the park, you can take a Tachikawa Bus from Tachikawa Station on the JR Chuo Line, the Musashi Murayama Belt-line Bus from Kamikitadai Station on the Tama Intercity Monorail, or a Seibu Bus from Higashi-Yamato-shi Station on the Seibu Haijima Line. Get off at the Yokota, Choenji, Mine, or Kishi bus stop. The park is about a ten minute walk from these bus stops.

http://www.sayamaparks.com/noyama/（外部サイト）

The green fertile land surrounded by beautiful nature is home to many orchards producing local specialties, such as Lake Tama Pears (a type of Japanese pear), grapes, apples, and kiwi. After mid-August, orchards throughout the city sell their fruit, and some even allow visitors to pick their own. The local sake is brewed by using carefully-selected rice, and groundwater that flows to the area from Mt. Fuji and is then pumped up from a depth of 150 meters (492 feet) beneath the ground. Toyoshimaya Shuzo, a sake brewery in the Kumegawacho area of, Higashi-Murayama City, produces sake whose taste has remained unchanged since the brewery’s establishment 380 years ago.

http://www.shoukoukai.or.jp/（外部サイト）

Within the Tama area, Higashi-Murayama City produces the third-largest amount of tea, on the third-largest area of land, after Mizuho Town and Ome City. Sayama tea is grown in the tea fields of the Sayama hills. It is characterized by its vivid green color and rich, mellow flavor. Higashiyama-cha Udon is a new local specialty, a type of udon noodle developed by the Higashi-Yamato Society of Commerce and Industry by kneading Sayama tea into the noodles. These noodles, made by combining the traditional local dish of udon with the faint but fresh aroma of Sayama tea, have become very popular. Sweets made by using Sayama tea have also become popular in recent years.

http://www.e-yamato.or.jp/（外部サイト）

The Musashino Plain lacks water resources, which makes it difficult to create rice paddies. Because of this, local people mainly planted wheat instead. At the same time, they also cultivated a type of rice called okabo in their fields. Since the okabo rice had a poor texture, it was ground into powder to make dumplings, which were then grilled. This was the origin of Musashino dango. Because the rice has just the right amount of stickiness, the dumplings made with it are delicious. These dumplings also create a feeling of being full that lasts for a long time before people start to get hungry. They were therefore a practical food for hikers or for those who worked in the fields. Grilled dumplings seasoned with soy sauce are an important part of the culinary culture of the Sayama region, and are still popular today.

http://www.shoukoukai.or.jp/index.html（外部サイト）

Cycling courses are available within Sayama Park for cyclists to enjoy the traditional satoyama landscape of Musashino and Lake Tama. The Lake Tama Bicycle Path, which runs alongside the park, is a great place for all kinds of visitors, from families to serious cyclists, to enjoy cycling.

http://www.city.nishitokyo.lg.jp/daisuki/spot/tamakozitensya.html（外部サイト）

Asobi no Mori (the forest of play) and Boken no Mori (the forest of adventure) are obstacle courses located at the eastern end of Noyamakita-Rokudosan Park. Asobi no Mori includes more than 20 types of wooden playthings and playground equipment such as balance beams and playthings named for forest animals. These include Usagi no Yamanobori (the rabbit’s mountain climbing) and Otaka no Toride (the goshawk’s fortress). The adventure forest has Tarzan ropes for children to play on, an obstacle course set on steep slopes, and an observation deck with a height of 8 meters (26.2 feet) and a circumference of 60 meters (196.9 feet). Children can get some exercise while having fun playing in the nature surrounded by mixed forests.

http://www.sayamaparks.com/noyama/（外部サイト）