A beautiful park in Uji’s west, Nishi-Uji Park is a community center with playgrounds, basketball courts, and best of all, a tennis wall!
Between Mukaijima and Ogura railway stations is a sports and community center known as Nishi-Uji Park or “West Uji Park.” Here, you can rent tennis courts, baseball fields, and basketball courts or let your kids loose in the playgrounds. Better yet, you can access free tennis walls and basketball hoops until 6 pm every day (except for Tuesdays when they are closed).
Beautiful Autumn Leaves
It seems to be the case that the Japanese always plant their most beautiful trees in places where they will be much appreciated by the people.
This is something that I, for one, am grateful for, as it makes it easy to enjoy these amazing autumn trees without needing to hike into the mountains.
Nishi-Uji Park can be a beautiful place to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere without needing to engage in any of the activities on offer.
Multi-Purpose Facilities
Of course, sitting and chilling isn’t what I came here for. I had researched tennis courts in my area (Mukaijima) and found this facility on Google Maps. As a tennis player who wants to stay on top of his game without constantly relying on another person to play with (or paying court fees), tennis walls like the one at Nishi-Uji Park are a Godsend!
Not only did I get to have a high-intensity practice session on the tennis wall in solitude, but I also got to mingle with the local community. Being the only foreigner certainly draws plenty of attention to oneself, but I certainly felt the love with how welcoming everyone was and accommodating with sharing the tennis wall. Tennis truly brings with it a spirit of unity!
Vending Machines
Nothing beats a hot can of coffee on a cold autumn day.
There are plenty of vending machines selling hot and cold beverages at Nishi-Uji Park, making it a great place to relax under the autumn trees or refresh yourself during intense tennis wall hitting!
Furthermore, public toilets are provided which is a great convenience. Trust me, this park is in the middle of wide open farmlands with no toilets in sight, so it’s a big help!
For more suggestions on the best places to play tennis in Kyoto, check out this article below!
>> The best tennis courts in the Kansai region (my top 3 picks) <<
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