Namegawa Town

Home of Japan's first state-run park.

Musashi Kyuryo national park

Photo by mariemon (CC BY 3.0)

01 ／ National government park

Its ponds, as a rule, are left as they are:a national park in the hills.

Musashi Kyuryo National Government Park (国営武蔵丘陵森林公園) was laid out as part of the national project marking 100 years since the Meiji Restoration, on 304 ha of hills spanning Namegawa and Kumagaya, and opened in July 1974. Woodland, ponds, marshes and meadows spread across it, and the national government's basic policy says the ponds will, as a rule, not be altered and visitors' cars will not be driven through the park.

Japan's first national government park
304 ha
Opened July 1974

02 ／ Yatsu pond farming

No water drawn from rivers:rice grown from ponds of rain.

比企丘陵谷津地形内沼～田圃.jpeg — Photo by Indiana jo (CC0)

Sixty percent of the town is gently rolling hills, and about 200 irrigation ponds dot its small valleys, known as yatsu (谷津). The ponds draw no water from rivers and hold only rainwater (天水, tensui) to feed the valley rice paddies, while water cooperatives called numashita (沼下) share it out. This Hiki Hills yatsu pond farming system was recognised as a Japanese Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2023.

About 200 irrigation ponds
Rainwater is the only source
Japanese agricultural heritage, 2023

03 ／ Tokyo bitterling

A fish thought extinct in Saitamaturned up in a town pond.

The Tokyo bitterling (ミヤコタナゴ, miyakotanago) is a freshwater fish found only in Japan, designated a national natural monument in 1974. It was believed to have died out in Saitama Prefecture, but in 1985 it was found in an irrigation pond in the town. The town made it its official fish and continues to breed it artificially at the Eco Museum Center (エコミュージアムセンター). In fiscal 2026, 757 young fish were born.

National natural monument, 1974
Found in a town pond, 1985
757 young fish in fiscal 2026

Living here

60 minutes by express from Ikebukuro, and two stations.

about 20,000 people
60 min to a city centre
Rural district town

The town has two stations on the Tobu Tojo Line: Shinrin-kōen and Tsukinowa, opened in 2002. By express from Ikebukuro they take about 60 and 65 minutes respectively. New housing lines the streets around Tsukinowa Station. As its own policy, the town has made school and nursery meals free from nursery school and kindergarten through junior high since 2011.

People living here: 19,732people
Area: 29.68km²
Households: 7,650households
Rent (average for rentals): 49,201yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 8 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —3 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Namegawa Town in Japan36.066°N 139.361°E

to IkebukuroTobu Tojo Line express60min

Travel times follow 町公式「交通案内」（総務政策課・2025-06-18 更新）に載っている値 (checked 2026-09-24). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Territory of Namegawa Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

7.5km

東松山市, 嵐山町, 熊谷市

Namegawa Town isthis kind of town.

01It has Japan's first national government park, built to mark the Meiji centenary around the woods and ponds of the hills
02About 200 ponds that hold only rainwater, with no river water drawn in, feed the valley paddies, now a Japanese agricultural heritage system
03The Tokyo bitterling, thought extinct in Saitama, was found in a town pond, and the town keeps breeding it

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Namegawa Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗