A quiet woodland oasis in the heart of Tokyo, with many tall majestic trees, some of which are rarely seen in other metropolitan parks. Plenty of wild birds and insects. A small campsite (open from the beginning of May until the end of October). A play area for very small children, a paddling pond and an adventure play area for older children.
Rinshi no Mori straddles the line between Meguro and Shinagawa wards. The park started its life as an experimental nursery, established in 1900 by the Agriculture Agency. Later it came under the management of the Forestry Agency and was called the Ringyo Shikenjo (forestry research station). When the Forestry Agency relocated their research facilities to Tsukuba Science City in Ibaraki Prefecture they left the trees behind (thank goodness) and donated the site to the Tokyo Parks Department. In 1989 it was opened to the public.
One of the aims of the Ringyo Shikenjo was to work out which trees were suitable for growing in Tokyo's parks and streets. Trees both native and foreign were cultivated and their growth carefully observed. There are several hundred trees growing in the park today, including 59 species from outside Japan.