GREEN SPRINGS, an 8-minute walk north of JR Tachikawa Station, is a wellbeing-themed complex that opened in April 2020 and is known for its SORANO HOTEL with a rooftop infinity pool and other amenities.
Buildings line the four sides of the parcel between the Tama Monorail and the National Showa Memorial Park, but surrounded by these buildings, an X-shaped street runs along the second floor in the center of the city block.
As you head north through the greenery, you will see various stores lined up on either side, but in between them is a liberating indoor space called the “living room” that can be used free of charge, with a power supply and Wi-Fi environment available, allowing you to enjoy a work-cation-like atmosphere.
Further along, visitors will see a “cascade,” a water staircase that extends gently toward the rooftop of TACHIKAWA STAGE GARDEN. This 120-meter-long cascade, which is based on the motif of an airfield runway, is a symbolic corner of the facility’s concept of “a wellbeing town where the sky, the earth, and people are connected.
Such a cascade is a great spot for social networking photos, and of course you can hand your camera or smartphone to your family or friends to take pictures, but there is a “Machikame” installed there for a limited time that allows you to easily take the best shots by remote control from your smartphone.
The Machikame photo shooting experience itself is free of charge, but the watermarked photos are displayed on your phone, and you can download the high-resolution data without the watermark by paying a fee (380 to 800 yen) with a credit card.
This time I visited during the daytime on a weekday, but many parents and children were enjoying themselves in the pool and cascades, as the “BLUE SUMMER POOL” event was being held until August 14, allowing people to play in the water. At night, the cascade is lit up, transforming it into an adult atmosphere different from that of the daytime.
The area overlooking Showa Park on the Sky Deck at the top of the cascade, with its secluded bar, is truly a hidden gem. Fuji is clearly visible when the air is clear.
© Source travel watch