Yoyogi Park

Yoyogi Park (代々木公園, Yoyogi kōen) is a park in Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine.

Yoyogi Park
LocationShibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35.671975°N 139.69768536°E / 35.671975; 139.69768536
Area54.1 ha (134 acres)
Created1967
Public transit accessHarajuku Station, Yoyogi-Koen Station, Meiji-jingumae Station

The park is a popular Tokyo destination. On Sundays, it is especially busy when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music fans, jugglers, comedians, martial arts clubs, cosplayers and other subculture and hobby groups.[1] In spring, thousands of people visit the park to enjoy the cherry blossom during hanami. The landscaped park has picnic areas, bike paths, cycle rentals and public sport courts.[2]

History
Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine as seen from above
Yoyogi's rockabillies dancing in the park on a Sunday in March 2014

Yoyogi Park stands on the site from where the first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan took place by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa on 19 December 1910.[3] The area later became an army parade ground. From September 1945, the site housed the military barracks known as the "Washington Heights" for U.S. officers during the Allied occupation of Japan.[4]

In 1964, the area was used for the Tokyo Olympics housing the main Olympic village and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. The distinctive building, which was designed by Kenzo Tange, hosted the swimming and diving, with an annex for the basketball.[5][6]

In 1967 most of the area north of the gymnasium complex and south of Meiji Shrine was turned into Yoyogi Park.[1]

Tokyo's failed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics included a proposal to redevelop Yoyogi Park. A new volleyball arena was to be built west of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. It would have replaced an existing soccer field and athletic field. The arena would have remained after the Olympics as a multiple use venue.[7] In Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics bid, Yoyogi National Gymnasium is the proposed venue for handball events.[8]

2014 dengue fever cases

In 2014, Tokyo experienced one of its worst dengue fever outbreaks in 100 years and the first recorded cases in 70 years, with nearly 200 confirmed cases.[9] The first case was reported on August 27, 2014. Using gene sequencing techniques, scientists determined that the outbreak originated in Yoyogi Park. Dozens of visitors to the area contracted the disease, leading to the park's closure on September 4.[9] No further cases were discovered after September 18, and the park re-opened to the public on October 31.[10]

References
  1. Roman A. Cybriwsky (1 February 2011). Historical Dictionary of Tokyo. Scarecrow Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-8108-7238-7. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  2. "Profile of the basketball court at Yoyogi Park". courtsoftheworld.com
  3. Ikuhiko Hata; Yasuho Izawa; Christopher Shores (5 April 2012). Japanese Army Fighter Aces: 1931-45. Stackpole Books. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8117-1076-3. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  4. Toyoko Yamazaki; V. Dixon Morris (2008). Two Homelands. University of Hawaii Press. p. 551. ISBN 978-0-8248-2944-5. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. Allison Lee Palmer (30 September 2009). The A to Z of Architecture. Scarecrow Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-8108-6895-3. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  6. Morris Low (30 April 2006). Japan On Display: Photography and the Emperor. Taylor & Francis. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-415-37148-3. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  7. "Tokyo 2016 Olympics". Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  8. "Venue Plan". Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  9. "OWJ News". OWJ News. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  10. October 30, 2014 The Japan Times Retrieved May 5, 2015
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