Where the name Tachikawa comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
No one knows for certain where the name Tachikawa came from. The city's historical research identifies several competing theories. One links the name to the Tama River flowing east to west in front of the ancient provincial capital. Others connect it to a fortified residence near Fusaiji Temple, the river's swift current, its position to the east, or the medieval Tachikawa warrior family. None has been conclusively established.
Leave Tachikawa Station by the south exit and walk west toward Suwa Shrine and Fusaiji Temple. This was part of the old village of Shibasaki. Continue downhill toward the Tama River and the landscape changes from the relatively level Musashino Plateau to the lower river terraces. Farmers cultivated fields on the higher ground and used springs and streams near the escarpment to support agriculture. The geography helps explain why the river figures in so many theories about the name.
Medieval documents record the name as Tachikawa or Tachikawa written with the character for river. Yet the surrounding village remained known as Shibasaki for centuries. It was renamed Tachikawa Village in 1881, preserving a name with roots in the medieval past.
→ Walk south and west from Tachikawa Station to Suwa Shrine and Fusaiji Temple, then continue toward the Tama River. Notice how the plateau falls toward the river lowlands. The surviving Shibasakicho name and medieval sites preserve the older geography behind modern Tachikawa.
Sources (in Japanese): 立川市「立川市の概要・市名の由来」, 立川市史編さん委員会「立川市史編さんだより・柴崎村の地名をみる」
The spacious streets, office towers, and parkland north of Tachikawa Station occupy land once dominated by an airfield and military facilities. In 1922, an Imperial Japanese Army aviation unit moved from Kakamigahara in Gifu Prefecture, marking the beginning of Tachikawa Airfield. The broad, relatively flat Musashino Plateau and nearby railway connections made the site particularly suitable for aviation.
In 1928, an early civilian airline began scheduled transport services between Tachikawa and Osaka. The airfield subsequently developed into an important center for military aviation research, maintenance, and aircraft manufacturing. Factories and railway sidings served the growing aviation industry. After World War II, the United States military took control of the base, and Tachikawa became strongly associated with the American military presence.
The base was fully returned to Japan in 1977, allowing large-scale redevelopment. Showa Kinen Park opened in 1983, while former military land closer to the station was transformed into shopping, office, and cultural districts, including Faret Tachikawa. Walk north from the railway station and the scale of the old airfield becomes apparent in the broad streets and enormous public spaces.
→ Walk north along Sun Sun Road through Faret Tachikawa toward Showa Kinen Park. The wide streets and large redevelopment blocks occupy former military land. Farther northeast, Sakae Greenway follows a former railway siding that once served an aircraft factory.
Sources (in Japanese): 立川市「立川市の散歩コース・近現代を歩く」, 陸上自衛隊立川駐屯地「立川飛行場の歴史」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).