Log Road Daikanyama: The Reclaimed Railway Promenade

Why is it significant?

Follow the natural wooden boardwalk of Log Road Daikanyama, a delightful linear park stretching two hundred and twenty meters along what was once an active open-air railway corridor.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Follow the natural wooden boardwalk of Log Road Daikanyama, a delightful linear park stretching two hundred and twenty meters along what was once an active open-air railway corridor. Until twenty-thirteen, Tokyu Toyoko commuter trains roared along this trench on their journey between Shibuya and Yokohama. When engineers moved the train tracks underground into subterranean tunnels to connect with the Tokyo Metro network, the railway authority transformed the abandoned surface rail bed into this tranquil pedestrian promenade.

Opened in twenty-fifteen, the project features five low-profile wooden cottage pavilions built from sustainably harvested Japanese red cedar, nestled amidst lush plantings of wildflowers, aromatic herbs, wild olive trees, and weeping grasses designed by landscape master Yuko Onishi. Landscape architect Yuko Onishi planted drought-resistant native wildflowers, aromatic rosemary hedges, and wild olive bushes, restoring vibrant insect biodiversity and sweet floral fragrances to what was once a noisy rail trench. Potted shrubs and climbing vines line the wooden ramps.

The promenade is home to Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo, an innovative craft beer laboratory operated by Kirin Brewery, where visitors can sample experimental micro-brews paired with artisanal cheeses while sitting on open-air timber verandas bathed in dappled sunlight. At Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo, visitors can witness the brewing process through transparent glass brewing kettles while savoring flights of seasonal ales paired with fresh farm-to-table cuisine on sunny outdoor verandas.

Notice the subtle linear curves of the boardwalk: it follows the exact track geometry that commuter trains navigated for nearly ninety years, turning an industrial transit scar into a green community ribbon connecting Daikanyama with neighboring Ebisu. The gentle pedestrian pathway offers commuters and neighborhood flâneurs a calm, vehicle-free walking connection between Daikanyama station and Ebisu, away from the roaring traffic of Tokyo's major thoroughfares.

Walk east down the hillside into the lively commercial alleys of Ebisu to discover the historic Ebisu Shrine.