Chidori-ga-fuchi, which is known as one of the best cherry blossom viewing locations in Tokyo, is a 5-minute walk away from Hanzōmon and Kudanshita Station. Approximately 260 Somei-yoshinō, a type of cherry tree, and other trees are planted along the promenade that runs for 700 meters from Yasukuni Dōri to Kitamaru Park.
Chidori-ga-fuchi is a moat that was created by blocking the river Tsubonesawa-gawa with the soil of Hanzōmon and Tayasumon when expanding the Edo Castle after the opening of Edo city. When Ieyasu Tokugawa arrived, Edo was a lowland facing the sea, and the well water contained a large amount of salt. Chidori-ga-fuchi was built by damming nearby rivers to secure drinking water. It was originally connected to the Hanzō Moat, which borders Daikanchō-dori, but it was landfilled for road construction in the Meiji era and became a separate moat. Chidori-ga-fuchi Park is now adjacent to the Hanzō Moat.
There are different theories about the origin of the name of Chidori-ga-fuchi, such as the fact that “thousands of birds” gather there in winter, or because the V-shaped moat resembles the chidori birds, better known as plovers.
The Chidori-ga-fuchi Memorial Cemetery was built in 1959, and the remains of many unidentified Japanese who died overseas during World War II are kept there.
In addition to being a renowned place for cherry blossom viewing, the area of Chidori-ga-fuchi is one in which you can behold a variety of creatures that are rare in Tokyo, such as aquatic plants, fish, shellfish, insects like the luciola cruciata, dragonflies, and waterfowl, such as mandarin ducks. The Environmental Agency, which manages this area, is promoting the "Chidori-ga-fuchi Revitalization Plan" which aims to preserve the landscape, biodiversity, and history of the sight. In recent years, the nature surrounding the Imperial Palace has been recognized as a precious sight of the city center, as well as becoming one of the symbolic images of Japan to the world. For this reason, the agency is attempting to expand and protect the area where the creatures can live in harmony within the nature of the Imperial Palace.