(T2) Todoroki Ravine Park map 等々力渓谷公園の地図 (and Setagaya, Tokyo golf history)

Much has already been posted about Todoroki Keikoku (valley)  等々力渓谷, aka Todoroki Ravine Park 等々力渓谷公園 (map), so I’ll stick to what I do best: maps.

Todoroki Keikoku is a lush, steep ravine cutting through a residential neighborhood on the southern part of Tokyo. It’s especially nice to visit on a hot day, as the temperature in the ravine can be noticeably cooler that at street-level. In addition to a peaceful path along a river, the valley includes a temple and other points of interest:

The main features of this map include:

• (1) Todoroki Station 等々力駅 (map)
• (2) Stairs that descend from street to the valley stream (map)
• (3) 日本庭園等々力 (Nihon teien todoroki) Japanese garden Todoroki (map)
• (4) 等々力不動尊 Todorokifudo (temple) (map)
• (4b) At the bottom of the temple, along the river valley, is a small waterfall
• (5) Cherry trees are south of Todorokifudo  and can be seen from a viewing-station (map)

Photo of Todoroki Keikoku (valley)  等々力渓谷 (source):

Map from the city of Setagaya (a ward of Tokyo) webpage (source):

The one detail from this map that I didn’t know previously: the bridge at the right of the map (north), at the entrance of the valley near Todoroki Station – it is called Golf Bridge ゴルフ橋, due to the fact that there used to be a 6-hole golf course in this area, starting circa late 1920s/1930s up until probably the early postwar period. It was located approximately here (map).

Posts about the old golf course:

• 等々力渓谷のゴルフ橋、名前の由来のゴルフ場の痕跡を探す・その２・古い地図に発見 Todoroki Valley golf bridge, looking for traces of the golf course where the name comes from ・Part 2 ・Discovered on an old map
• 砧・世田谷・等々力渓谷。「世田谷ゴルフさんぽ」はいかが？ Kinuta, Setagaya, Todoroki Valley. How about a “Setagaya Golf Walk”?
• 日本のゴルフ文化発祥地は世田谷区だった The Birthplace of Japanese Golf Culture Was Setagaya Ward
• 【日本のゴルフ黎明期を支えた幻のゴルフ場】第11回「等々力ゴルフコース」 [The phantom golf course that supported the dawn of golf in Japan] No. 11 “Todoroki Golf Course”

Map of the old Todoroki Golf Course 等々力ゴルフコース (source)

The water in the middle of the map above is clearly visible in aerial photos from circa 1940 (map):

Links:

• Todoroki Valley – Tokyo’s small jungle
• Todoroki Valley (Go Tokyo – English)
• Todoroki Valley (Go Tokyo – Japanese)
• Todoroki Valley on Setagaya-ku webpage
• 等々力渓谷公園でお散歩デート！お薦めランチも駐車場も紹介 (Todoriki Keikoku park sanpo date!)
• http://www.todoroki.net/midokoro/todorokikeikoku.html
• Kobe, taxes, and hills: the golf courses of Hyogo Prefecture ゴルフ場利用税堅持のための全国市町村連盟
• 【日本のゴルフ黎明期を支えた幻のゴルフ場】第10回「砧ゴルフ場 」 [The phantom golf course that supported the dawn of golf in Japan] No. 10 “Kinuta Golf Course”