水元公園の四季ーThe four seasons of Mizumoto Park(December 24, 2021-No.35）

水元公園の四季ーThe four seasons of Mizumoto Park(December 24, 2021-No.35）

Tokyo Metropolitan Mizumoto Park is located in Katsushika Ward, in the eastern part of Tokyo, and is the largest riverside district park（水郷公園）in Tokyo, bordering Saitama Prefecture (Misato City). In the park, you can enjoy the aquatic landscape with rich forest atmosphere and precious aquatic plants. About 1,800 metasequoia trees（メタセコイア）, known as living fossils, and 200 poplar trees（ポプラの木） that reach a height of 20m form the largest forest in a metropolitan park. The bird sanctuary is located on the water's edge, resembling the natural environment.

The park covers an area of 96.3 hectares (about 237 acres) and it is impossible to walk through the entire park in a few hours. Rental bicycles are available, but we recommend a two-hour walk with binoculars（双眼鏡） and a camera.

Throughout the four seasons, there are various flowers such as cherry blossoms, irises, lotus, and floating heart（アサザ）, various types of waterfowl such as ducks, herons, and kingfishers, and trees such as metasequoia, poplar, and cedar. The Katsushika Goldfish Exhibition Hall（葛飾区金魚展示場） is also a recommended place.

On holidays, it is crowded with families. Many people bring their own dogs because there is a dog run facility. Also, many people enjoy fishing in the pond in the park.

It costs a lot to maintain such a large park, but with the cooperation of the general public, I would definitely like to leave it for the children of the future.