A section of paving in a different color traces the floor plan of an excavated Jōmon dwelling at Higashiyama Machikado Park. A hearth is depicted in the center, with the positions of four posts marked around it. This specific detail gives Meguro’s Higashiyama area an archaeological accent. There is also a walking route with named park stops, a grassy area with trees and play equipment, and a monument commemorating a period in history.

A walking route with park stops

The “Higashiyama Kaizuka–Jakuzure-gawa” walking route passes Higashiyama Park and Higashiyama Shell Mound Park. It also includes destinations outside Higashiyama. The two parks are therefore named stops, but they are not the only places along the route. If you are following the place names, consider the walking route a larger itinerary rather than limiting it to the parks with matching names.

The names of the two parks also help distinguish the stops: the route passes both Higashiyama Park and Higashiyama Shell Mound Park. There is also a specific point of reference for reaching the latter: it is a four-minute walk from Ikejiri-ōhashi Station on the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line. This station reference may be useful when planning, but it does not indicate the walking time for the entire route.

An archaeological design in the paving

At Higashiyama Machikado Park, paving in a different color shows the floor plan of the excavated Jōmon dwelling. It marks more than just the outer shape: the interior layout is also represented. The hearth is in the center, with the positions of four posts arranged around it. This makes it possible to see the spatial relationship between these elements directly.

It is this clear layout that distinguishes the display from a mere reference to an archaeological site. You can follow the marked shape with your eyes, then take in the central hearth and the four positions around it. For visitors interested in archaeology, it offers a tangible feature through which to understand the layout of a dwelling, rather than relying solely on an abstract description.

Grass, trees, and play equipment

Higashiyama Park has a grassy area, a variety of trees, and play equipment. These features give the park a different character from the paved display at Higashiyama Machikado Park: here, green space, trees, and amenities sit side by side; there, the focus is on the marked floor plan of a dwelling. This distinction helps visitors see the named locations as different park stops rather than interchangeable ones.

Several features contribute to the character of Higashiyama Park: its grassy area, variety of trees, and play equipment. The description is therefore not limited to a single facility or monument. Visitors particularly interested in park design will find several explicitly named features here, while the archaeological paving offers a different, more precisely defined perspective on the area’s history.

A monument marking a specific period

A monument in Higashiyama Park commemorates the fact that the Geographical Survey Institute of the then Ministry of Construction was located there from July 1958 to April 1979. The institution is now part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The monument thus connects the park to a specific former use of the site and a clearly defined period.

This historical landmark adds another dimension to the park’s visible features: alongside the grassy area, trees, and play equipment, the memory of the former site is also part of what characterizes Higashiyama Park. Together with the paved display at Higashiyama Machikado Park and the stops along the walking route, it offers a range of distinct topics for exploring Higashiyama, rather than a single, interchangeable park experience.

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