Tokyo Totoro Inspired Forest Lake Sayama and Local Tea Walk

Tokyo, Japan
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Duration4h 30m
Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish
Group sizeUp to 4 travelers

Overview

Most guests meet us at Seibu-Kyujo-mae Station (9:30). Ikebukuro (8:30) is also available; your guide travels with you by train.

Walk the forest widely believed to have inspired My Neighbor Totoro with a local guide who lives nearby and knows these trails in every season. It's a small-group tour (max 4 guests), so we keep an easy pace with plenty of photo stops.

The Sayama Hills are not a theme park. Since the early 1990s, local people have bought this woodland plot by plot to protect it, and each saved plot is numbered as a "Totoro Forest." You walk Totoro Forest No. 1, hear how it was saved, and learn to spot the birds and plants that live here.

Then visit a small Shinto shrine few tourists find, look out over Lake Sayama, and finish with fresh matcha and local Sayama tea at a family-run tea shop, a stop past guests call a highlight.

Cherry blossoms in spring, deep green shade in summer, red and gold leaves in autumn: a quiet day in nature, one hour from central Tokyo.

What's included

  • Guide escort by train from Ikebukuro and back to Ikebukuro
  • Visit to Totoro Forest No. 1 and Lake Sayama viewpoint
  • English-speaking local guide (small group, max 4)
  • Photo stop at Kurosuke's House (viewed from the front gate)
  • Guided forest walk (about 3 km)
  • Visit to Mikajima Hachiman Shrine
  • Matcha and tea at Wada-en (pay on site, about ¥500–1,000)
  • Entry inside Kurosuke House (not part of this tour; book directly with the Totoro no Furusato Foundation, ¥500 cash)
  • Gratuities
  • Train fares for travelers (pay with IC card or ticket)

What to expect

  1. Totoro Forest
    1h
    Walk with your guide through Totoro Forest No. 1, the best-preserved section of the protected Sayama Hills woodland. Your guide explains the local wildlife and plants, and how local people saved this forest from development.
  2. Lake Sayama
    20m
    Views across one of the most scenic reservoirs near Tokyo — cherry blossoms in spring, deep green in summer, golden leaves in autumn.
  3. Tokorozawa
    20m
    Mikajima Hachiman Shrine (20 min)
    A small forest shrine rarely visited by tourists. Your guide explains Shinto customs and why shrines sit in forests.
  4. kurosuke's house
    20m · Admission ticket not included
    Kurosuke's House (20 min) View and photograph the house from the gate. The house is usually open on Saturdays only and may close without notice. Entry is optional and outside the tour; guides cannot accompany guests inside.
  5. Tokorozawa
    20m
    Wada-en tea shop (20 min) Matcha break and local Sayama tea (pay on site).

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

RECOMMENDED: Meet at 9:30 AM just outside the ticket gate of Seibu-Kyujo-mae Station (only one gate). Look for the guide's "Hidden Tokyo Experiences" sign with your name. From Ikebukuro: 8:35 Express to Nishi-Tokorozawa, then Sayama Line 9:03, arriving 9:09. WhatsApp: +81-70-8474-2507

Meeting point

OPTIONAL: Meet at the Seibu Ikebukuro Line Central Ticket Gate at 8:30 AM and travel with your guide. We take the 8:50 Express, arriving at Seibu-Kyujo-mae at 9:29. Train fares not included. Meeting directly at 9:30 is recommended. WhatsApp: +81-70-8474-2507

End point

The walk ends at Kotesashi Station. Travelers who started in Ikebukuro return with the guide to Ikebukuro by direct train (about 40 min).

Additional information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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16,000.00 JPY per person
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Operated by Hidden Tokyo Experiences · Booked through Viator
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