KaminogeTake a stroll through the lush greenery of Kaminoge and enjoy the water

Japan Travel Samurai x "Japanese and People's Exchange Chitose" project "Japanese Walk". This time, we went for a walk in the Kaminoge area of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo with model and actor Jo Morinaka.

What is Kaminoge District?

Kaminoge, located in the south of Setagaya Ward, is an area along the Tama River where lush nature remains. From the Meiji to Taisho eras, it was loved as a summer resort and villa area, and today it is a popular spot as a quiet residential area brimming with greenery. Many areas have restrictions on building height, so the area has been able to preserve its traditional scenery, and with no high-rise apartment buildings, the sky feels wide.

In the south, there is a series of cliffs called the Kokubunji Cliff Line. These cliffs were carved away by the Tama River over hundreds of thousands of years from the Musashino Plateau, and forests and springs remain along the cliffs. The view from the top of the cliffs is amazing. From Fujimi Bridge, where you can still see Mt. Fuji, you can see the Tokyu Oimachi Line running below the cliffs. Additionally, ancient tombs such as the Noge Otsuka Tomb remain on the Kokubunji Cliff Line.

The Maruko River that runs through the area is a remnant of part of the Rokugo Irrigation Canal that Tokugawa Ieyasu opened for irrigation in the Rokugo domain (present-day Ota Ward). This historic river still flows leisurely today.

This walk begins at Kaminoge Station on the Tokyu Oimachi Line. It's four stops to Jiyugaoka Station, about six minutes by express train, and connects to the Denentoshi Line at the neighboring Futako Tamagawa Station.

Kaminoge Nature Park and Kaminoge Inari Shrine on the former site of the Tanaka family mansion

Leaving Kaminoge Station and strolling through a quiet residential area for about five minutes, we arrived at Kaminoge Nature Park on the Kokubunji Cliff Line. The park, which was selected as one of the "100 Views of Setagaya," has a somewhat unusual shape, lying on the top and bottom of a cliff. At the top of the slope is the "Sakura Square," where beautiful Somei-Yoshino and Satozakura cherry trees bloom in spring. Going down the stairs, there is a spring-fed stream and the Maruko River, where you can enjoy irises in early summer.

Kaminoge Inari Shrine is located right next to Kaminoge Nature Park. The shrine is located halfway up Inarizaka, carved into a cliff. This area was once the residence of the Tanaka family, who were the headmen of Kaminoge village, and the shrine was originally a shrine within the residence, but eventually became the guardian deity of the old Kaminoge village.

The Tanaka family was a descendant of Tanaka Chikugonokami Shigemasa, a vassal of the Kira family who served as the lord of Setagaya Castle, and was a high-ranking village headman. Incidentally, Kaminoge Nature Park was actually originally the Tanaka family's garden, called "Oukaen."

The deity worshipped here is Kurainatama-no-Kami, or Inari-sama. Currently, the shrine is uninhabited, and the chief priest of Tamagawa Shrine in Todoroki also serves as the shrine priest. For this reason, you can get the shrine's goshuin at Tamagawa Shrine.

Please note that although it may look like you can get there directly from Sakura Square on the map, you will actually have to go down the slope and take Kaminoge Street to get there.

The vast Futako Tamagawa Park, which also features a Japanese garden

About a five-minute walk from Kaminoge Inari Shrine along Kaminoge Street towards the Tama River, the huge Futako Tamagawa Park comes into view. Surrounded by the greenery of the Kokubunji Cliff Line and the waterside of the Tama River, the park just opened in 2013. It is also known for having Kishin-en, the first authentic Japanese garden in a Setagaya ward park.

Kishinen is a strolling Japanese garden with an area of about 5,800 square meters. It is a "miniaturized" garden that expresses the Tamagawa River from its source to its main stream, the hills of the Kokubunji Cliff Line, and the scenery of Musashino. There are various spots within the garden, such as a small river that represents the Tamagawa River, "Little Fuji" that represents Mt. Fuji, and "Fujimidai" where you can see the real Mt. Fuji. The garden paths surrounded by greenery are designed to be universal, making it easy to stroll around.

Another highlight is the "Kyu-Shimizu Residence Shoin," a registered cultural property of Setagaya Ward. It was built around 1910 as a detached building on the Shimizu family estate in Nakanegishi (now Taito Ward, Tokyo), and in 1919 was moved to the Shimizu family estate in Seta, Setagaya Ward, where it was relocated and restored to coincide with the construction of the park. The man who built the estate was Shimizu Agenosuke, who was vice president of Shimizu Corporation (now Shimizu Corporation) at the time. For this reason, Shimizu Corporation is also cooperating with the construction of the park.

The interior is open to the public every Sunday. You can enjoy traditional Japanese architecture, including coffered ceilings and beautiful gold sliding doors.

Donut and Meatball KEOkeo, a stylish donut and meatball cafe

Feeling hungry, the group decided to return to Kaminoge Station. From here, they enjoyed lunch and sweets in front of the station!

First, we headed to the donut cafe "Donut and Meatball KEOkeo.", located just past Kaminoge Station. This popular cafe serves donuts and light meals, and its American-style interior is very stylish. There are many spots that are perfect for Instagram. Also, this cafe is dog-friendly.

At the cafe, we started off with a meatball hot dog and a corned beef sandwich, both made with homemade bread. The meatballs were juicy and went perfectly with the homemade bread. The sandwich was filled with plenty of corned beef and crispy bread, making it very filling.

Morinaka also chose the Sugar & Kinako Donut. When you bite into the freshly fried, fluffy and chewy donut, the simple taste of sugar and kinako fills your mouth. As you would expect from a donut with such a good reputation, Morinaka said as he munched away at the taste.

Enjoy artistic glass desserts at L'Atelier A Ma Façon

The next place we visited on our walk was "L'Atelier a Ma Façon", located just 50 seconds away from the station. It is a popular parfait shop in Kaminoge, and is so famous that there is probably no parfait lover who doesn't know about it! It is a little difficult to get into as it does not accept reservations in advance, only accepts cash payments for up to two people, and closes when sold out, but it is well worth the wait.

After waiting for a few minutes in the stylish antique-style cafe that resembled a gallery, the parfait came out, looking like a work of art, and Morinaka couldn't help but cheer.

The sunflower-inspired "Original Summer Scene Glass Dessert" is a parfait made with basil and mint jelly and summery ingredients such as mango, coconut, and golden pineapple. It's said to be the most popular this season, and the beautiful parfait, which looks like Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" has been transformed into a dessert, is almost too good to eat! I thoroughly enjoyed the delicate flavor.

The other dish was the "Puy d'Amour" made with seasonal fruits. The fruits vary depending on the season, but on the day we went, mango and Shine Muscat were used. Puy d'Amour is a puff pastry filled with plenty of cream and caramelized. The combination of this and the fruit was refreshing and very delicious! There was also ice cream inside, so we enjoyed the combination of various flavors.

Enjoy authentic desserts made by French chefs at "La Fiezon"

The last walking spot for this trip is the patisserie "La Fiezon." The pastries made by a former French chef are authentic and delicious! The deli items, including quiche, are also recommended.

This time, we decided to try some products that are unique to Kaminoge, such as the "Kaminoge Leaf Pie" and the "Kaminoge Galette." The leaf pie is made with a dough made from French butter and topped with brown sugar from Kikaijima Island, giving it an irresistible buttery flavor and crispy texture. The galette is made with AOP fermented butter from the Normandy region of France and salt from Guérande, giving it a crispy, rustic taste. How about a souvenir from Kaminoge?

【Today's walking course】

Kaminoge Station → Kaminoge Nature Park → Kaminoge Inari Shrine → Futako Tamagawa Park → Donut and Meatball KEOkeo. → L'Atelier A Ma Façon → La Fiezon

[Spots visited this time]

"Kaminoge Inari Shrine" 3-22-2 Kaminoge, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
"Futako Tamagawa Park" 1-16-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
"Donut and Meatball KEOkeo." 1-14-6 Kaminoge, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 1st floor, Mitsuya Building
"L'Atelier A Ma Façon" 1-26-14 Kaminoge, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
"La Fiezon" Kikuta Building, 1-13-6 Kaminoge, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo