Todoroki Valley

The Todoroki Valley is a natural valley located within the 23 wards of central Tokyo and was designated as a ”Special Place of Scenic Beauty” of Tokyo in 1999. As it is close to the Todoroki Station and easily encourages one to enjoy a natural, tranquil environment, many people visit for a casual walk. The hiking trail starts from a red-painted bridge named Golf Bridge. As you descend the stairs to the foot of the bridge, you will step into a world of nature with the flowing streams of the Yazawa River and a deep green forest. As you further walk along the hiking trail beside the river and pass under the Tamazawa Bridge, you will see Todoroki Keikoku Yokoana Kofun (the Todoroki Valley horizontal tumulus). It is a tumulus estimated to have been constructed around the late 7th to 8th century. As you walk even further along the river, the hiking trail branches out to two separate pathways. The right path will lead you to the Chigo-daishi-do Hall, which worships Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai, who propagated the Buddhist teaching) in his early years, followed by the Inari-do Hall, the Fudo Waterfall, and the Todoroki Fudoson (Aryacalanaha) Temple. Although the valley is situated in a residential area of Tokyo, it presents an area full of nature along its total length of one kilometer, and visitors can hear birds humming and view seasonal flowers and plants. It is a 3-minute walk from the Todoroki Station on the Tokyu Oimachi Line.