Komazawa Olympic Park 駒沢オリンピック公園

Exercise with local Tokyoites at this massive sports park

Originally built for the 1964 Olympics, the sprawling grounds of Komazawa Olympic Park are filled with sporting facilities, including baseball fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and an indoor gym. The park’s crown jewel, a 20,000-person capacity stadium, hosts soccer and American football matches.

If you want to keep up your jogging routine, there is a lengthy track that stretches throughout the grounds, shaded by zelkova, magnolia, and cherry trees. Join the locals who jog and cycle the track. You may also encounter amateur sports clubs who partake in casual matches organized on the surrounding athletic fields.

In the early 20th century the grounds functioned as a golf course, at one point even welcoming Emperor Hirohito and King George V of England for a game. Then after WWII the area was redeveloped into a massive multi-functional sporting arena for the 1964 Olympics.

Komazawa Olympic Park is located in Setagaya, a pleasant, largely residential part of Tokyo. Consider a stroll or jog from the nearby Jiyugaoka or Sangenjaya neighborhoods to get a more personal look at local daily life.