Ghibli may have created an animation of Castles in the Sky, but Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward has created a real-life park in the sky.

Miyashita Park was once a rather forlorn little playground park wedged between Meiji-dori and the Yamanote train line, just north of Mitake-dori (ie, a few hundred meters north of Shibuya station). The dingy park was largely in the shadow of the train line and surrounding buildings. Not a particularly inviting space.

In a public-private partnership, Shibuya Ward recently redeveloped the park and some additional real estate south of Mitake-dori into a long, narrow strip of a building containing luxury shopping, boutiques, and eateries. Yet they kept the public park space–on top of the new building! Cynics can say this is just a crass way to capitalize on public space, but this time, it seems to be a win-win.

The new Miyashita Park Building, which opened in 2020 but has really only come to life now that Covid has waned, stretches over Mitake-dori, so that the new rooftop park is actually bigger and contains more facilities than the old park.

Even on a winter day, the park in the sky is bathed in light. Large hoops stretching overtop the park have been planted with vining plants that will ensure a cooler, shady area in summer. And it is already an enormously popular spot, with lots of patrons enjoying its facilities or just sitting on its benches to relax in fresh air.

While the park no longer has standard playground equipment, it seems poised to have more green space than the original park did. There is a large lawn area on the northern end, bookended by Valley Park Stand, a coffee shop within the Sequence Miyashita Park hotel to the north and a Starbucks on the southern end. (Hey, it’s Tokyo. You can’t turn around without spotting a Starbucks.)

On the south end of the park there are expanded facilities more in keeping with twenty-first century interests. These include a “multi-purpose area” suitable for beach volleyball, a climbing wall, and several skateboard ramps. All are available to rent between 9:00 am and 10:00 pm. The rental fees are reasonable, albeit cheaper for those of live, work or study in Shibuya Ward (inquire at the park office in the center of the park at the top of the giant staircase). It is even possible to rent volleyballs/nets or other sporting equipment from the park office.

A fun sculpture of Doraemon and the anywhere door stands across from the park office, providing a bit more visual entertainment, if people watching alone isn’t enough. The popularity of the park make people watching an entirely viable pastime.

Before the redevelopment, the area south of Mitake-dori was a warren of small Showa-era izakaya and bars. Many of them are still operating in new digs on the ground floor of the south end in an atmospheric space now called “Shibuya Yoko-cho”.

The ground level of the north end of the building is occupied predominately by luxury brand stores, including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and several others.

The two middle levels are an interesting mixture of shops and eateries, what the facility itself describes as “Tokyo Cool”. In keeping with the park’s theme of spending time enjoying outdoor activities, there are a number of sporting goods shops.

There are lots of other fascinating shops to poke around in, too, some with brands perhaps more familiar than others.

Besides Shibuya Yoko-cho and the rooftop Starbucks, the middle levels of the building contain an astonishing variety of food and beverage choices. Whatever the visitor fancies can likely be found here.

The facility is also designed with sustainability in mind. Every bit of waste (except food waste) is being recycled. The building is also designed to serve as an evacuation site in case of disaster, with food, water and blankets in stock to provide shelter to victims of any disaster that may occur.

Overall this development has breathed new life into a part of Shibuya that was once bordering on moribund, expanding what was already a dynamic Tokyo neighborhood and pushed its boundaries in yet another new direction.

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