Excellent Gelato at Lake Tsukui

Unwinding on the grass at Tsukui-ko Shiroyama Park

Tsukui-ko Shiroyama Park in Sagamihara has a huge grass field and, just a short walk away, views that take in both Lake Tsukui and Mt. Shiroyama. Go on a good-weather day and you can lose half a day lying on the lawn staring at the sky. With a picnic sheet and a gelato, your loadout is complete.

Megu Gelato, serious gelato made with local ingredients

Inside the park sits “Megu Gelato”, a proper Italian gelato specialist. Not just “ice stand attached to a park,” but a real gelato shop making it from locally sourced Sagamihara ingredients.

Owner Shioda-san grew up in Tsukui, and they started as a food truck to promote the area’s appeal, eventually opening a permanent shop inside the park. Nine flavors rotate at any given time — staples include “Freshly Pressed Milk” and local-flavor entries like “Tsukui Kinako” (Tsukui-grown roasted soybean flour), plus seasonal specials. New flavors to try on each visit — part of the fun.

Every bite leads with dense ingredient flavor. Smooth mouthfeel, not too sweet, the ingredients kept as the star. Balanced enough that adults and kids both land on “this is good.”

The scenery changes with the seasons, so each visit gives you a different impression of the place. Cherry blossoms in spring, reflection off the lake in summer, autumn leaves, crisp cold air in winter. Weekends fill with families and couples, but weekday afternoons are practically a private park. Lawn picnic + gelato is a minimum-kit, high-satisfaction way to spend a day off.