Residential ground on the eastern edge of the Musashino Plateau, holding onto some 20 hectares of woodland
The closest neighborhoods in the same city.
The Institute for Nature Study in Shirokanedai 5-chome covers about 20 hectares, with woods, grassland, ponds and wetlands, now dominated by deciduous broadleaf trees. The park has recorded 1,473 plant species and about 130 bird species.
Right to its south is the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, whose grounds are divided into three areas: a lawn, a Japanese garden and a Western garden. The main building is the Asaka Residence, completed in 1933, with an entrance featuring a glass door with a goddess figure specially made by René Lalique.
This area sits on the eastern edge of the Musashino Plateau, and has long been known as a good place to live.
The Institute for Nature Study is a National Natural Monument, and the park still retains a section of earthen embankment said to be a remnant of the residence of Shirokane Choja, a powerful local clan of the Muromachi period. In spring, the museum's Western garden blooms with Washington cherry trees.
Both the Namboku Line and the Mita Line stop at Shirokanedai Station, and for public transit this neighborhood ranks 83rd out of 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo. Based on our street photos, cleanliness ranks 63rd, in the top tier.
Based on our street photos, sidewalks rank 286th, the weakest category for this neighborhood. Daily shopping ranks 229th, also in the lower-middle range.
According to the Japanese Wikipedia entry for the station, Exit 1 is closed from 23:00 to 6:00 the next day, and there is also Exit 2 (toward Hiyoshizaka).
The land that is now the Institute for Nature Study was, in the Edo period, the shimo-yashiki (the lord's suburban residence) of the lord of the Takamatsu domain. During the Meiji era it served as an army and navy gunpowder depot, and in 1917 it became imperial land known as the Shirokane Goryochi.
In 1949, it was designated a Natural Monument and Historic Site, and opened to the public the same year. Next door, the Asaka Residence was converted into the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in 1983.
Shirokanedai Station on the subway opened in 2000. At the time, some residents worried that construction would affect the park and launched an opposition campaign, so the station ended up being built using a shield tunneling method that excavated only at the two ends.
The Shirokanedai section of Loop Road No. 4, running about 800 meters from Shirokanedai 2-chome to 3-chome, is planned to have 4 lanes, with the project period running through fiscal 2032.
This stretch runs mostly at ground level, through a densely built residential area, making land acquisition difficult; as of early 2025, when it was reported on, it was still in the preparation stage.
Compared with the 395 Tokyo neighborhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
Hospitals with inpatient beds (2020 data), public elementary and junior high schools whose catchment covers this area, high schools and universities within 1 km, stations, parks of 1 ha or more, and large shopping malls and department stores. Many Tokyo junior high students attend private schools, so junior high catchments are only a guide.
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How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
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