Beautiful cherry blossoms and quiet, free barbecue spot in Sakado

Thanks to my son’s soccer club I have visited sports parks around the prefecture that I otherwise probably would have never stepped foot in. However, I had been to the park in this post several times, because up until the pandemic it had a really great outdoor pool in the summer months. What I didn’t know is tucked away behind the pools in a beautiful green area, there is a lovely barbecue area. And although I knew there were cherry blossoms in the park, I also didn’t know that there are some really beautiful ones in the barbecue area. This would make a really lovely spot for a quiet cherry blossom barbecue next year. Or even this year, because the park has yaezakura (late blooming cherry blossoms) too…

Sakado City Sports Park

There are various indoor and outdoor sporting facilities at Sakado City Sports Park, but this post concentrates on the cherry blossoms and barbecue area. But just to say you can play tennis and / or rent soccer pitches here. Moreover, if you are a resident of one of the “Rainbow Cities” you can use the facilities at the same price as locals. City / Municipal sporting facilities usually have one price for residents of the city and another, more expensive price, for people who live outside the city. The “Rainbow Cities” is a Kawagoe Metropolitan Area Development Council initiative. It allows citizens of seven participating cities / towns use the public facilities of the others at the local price, not the “outsider” price. The cities / towns are Kawagoe, Sakado, Tsurugashima, Hidaka, Kawajima, Moroyama and Ogose.

The sports park also has an outdoor swimming pool, but unfortunately it hasn’t opened since 2019. I used to love this pool for various reasons, including how quiet it was in comparison to Kawagoe Park’s pools. But it was a lot smaller. As you can see in the photo above, the pools are now in a state of disrepair. They haven’t torn them down yet, but they may in the future. Even better still, they reopen them! Here’s hoping.

Free barbecue / camp in Sakado

It is the type of barbecue site where you need to have all your own supplies, but they do have an area with sinks and grills, pictured above. As you can see there is no roof, so it wouldn’t be ideal on a rainy day! They also have toilets, very picturesque toilet buildings! There are even a few benches. It is also the type of place where it is “first come, first served”. They don’t have plots marked out, so you can take up as much space as you need. Obviously if it is busy you should only take a reasonable space. You must bring home your own rubbish too. There are vending machines a couple of minutes walk away between the tennis courts. As you can also see in the photos, there are some cherry blossoms. More on the cherry blossoms two paragraphs down.

Most surprising is this barbecue spot in Sakado Sports Park is free. You can camp there too, but you have to write to the city and ask permission to camp there. The site is enclosed with a fence and they lock it at night if nobody is staying there. It is also closed sometimes if there is an event on in the park. For example, it will be closed on April 28th and 29th as the Sakado Citizens Sport Festival is on the 29th. You will have to check the official site for updates; its linked in the information section.

Cherry blossoms at Sakado Sports Park

When I was there yesterday, the somei yoshino cherry blossoms still had a good bit of bloom on them. Moreover, the yaezakura had started to bloom. There were some gorgeous Oshima cherry blossoms here and there in the park, including one in the barbecue area. All photos except the photo of the abandoned pools, were taken yesterday, April 14th 2025. Can you spot Kobaton, Saitama Prefecture’s mascot, in the photos above!?

Ishii Water Treatment Center

Ishii Water Treatment center is just a couple of minutes walk from the sports park. They have a gorgeous row of somei yoshino cherry blossoms as well as a small garden with some weeping cherry blossom trees. The garden is open to the public, but you can also walk into the parking lot of the center where there are a few tulips;

Sakado City Sports Park Information

Venue: Sakado City Sports Park 坂戸市民総合運動公園

Address: 1550 Ishii, Sakado, Saitama 350-0212. View on Google Maps.

Hours: the barbecue area is open from 8 am to 6 pm. As above, if you want to stay overnight you have to organize that directly with the city.

Cost: there is no charge to walk in the park and incredibly there is no charge to use the barbecue / BBQ area either. Each of the sporting facilities have varying charges. Usually the price is cheaper for people who live in the rainbow cities. (See a few paragraphs up for rainbow city information.

Access: Nearest station; Kita Sakado on the Tobu Tojo Line which is about a 40 minute walk away. But there is an infrequent bus from Wakaba Station, also on the Tobu Tojo line, that goes somewhat near. The bus stop is Suguro Elementary School 勝呂小学校入口 and it is kilometer from the park. By car the nearest Interchange is the Sakado Interchange on the Ken-o expressway.

Official web page, which includes the links you need to book to camp at the site.