A brief walk from Sendagaya Station, the new Meiji Park provides a spectacular view of Japan’s National Stadium, designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, and boasts three different plazas, as well as a small forest, the “Pride no Mori.” Free of charge, this comfortable green space offers an oasis of calm away from Tokyo’s everyday bustle. Meiji Park first opened in October 2023, with the planned addition of stores such as Blue Six Coffee and Play Earth Park Wonder Store in January 2024.
In March 2024, Meiji Park welcomed the opening of the Meiji Park Market, a food hall complex featuring three eateries run by the team behind Parklet, an established bakery in Tokyo run by a Californian couple.
Photo by Anna Petek
Parklet
Parklet first opened in Nihonbashi, opposite the Horidome Children’s Park, in early 2022. A delightful café-bakery, the store serves all manner of baked goods, from freshly baked olive bread to cheddar black pepper scones, as well as soup, salad, juice and, of course, coffee. This March, a second Parklet shop is opening as part of the Meiji Park Market, offering open sandwiches and salad plates for visitors to enjoy at their leisure.
Photo by Anna Petek
Parklet Kiosk
In addition to the main store, Meiji Park Market similarly welcomes the opening of the very first Parklet Kiosk. On the Meiji-dori side of the Parklet building, the kiosk is serving specialty coffee and ice-cream for passersby to grab, before heading into the greenery. Conveniently located just a walking distance from the National Stadium, Gaienmae and Harajuku stations, this is the perfect stop-off before exploring all that Meiji Park has to offer.
Baby J’s
The team behind Parklet are similarly to thank for Baby J’s, a buttermilk fried chicken specialty store originally located in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Following the success of the Sapporo store, as well as occasional pop-ups in Tokyo and Hakata, the Meiji Park Market is housing the first physical Baby J’s store in Tokyo. Already attracting the attention of existing loyal fans, those new to Californian soul food should definitely get a taste of this chicken sandwich.
After grabbing a sumptuous buttermilk chicken sandwich, or a tasty pastry from Meiji Park Market, head to the public space in the middle of the market. Resembling a cafeteria, there are a plethora of seating options available here open for the community to enjoy the various offerings of both the Meiji Park Market and Meiji Park as a whole.
