Next to the National Stadium, temporary pickleball courts will stand at Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park (5-7 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo) from October 1 to 14, 2026. The whole event is called Wellness Park Tokyo AUTUMN 2026 and runs for 16 days, from September 29 to October 14, hosted by Tokyo Legacy Parks (TLP), which operates the park. Pickleball sits in the park's Michi Hiroba, between HYROX, the fitness race growing worldwide, and half-court basketball rentals. A park in the middle of the capital switches into a place to try several sports at once. Here is how that lineup reads to Japanese players and facility operators.
Courts stand in a metropolitan park's Michi Hiroba for two weeks only
Pickleball runs from October 1 to 14. TLP describes the courts as a new racket sport anyone can enjoy regardless of age or gender, with W ARC assisting on operations. Applications opened on September 8 through a dedicated Peatix page (wellness-park-tokyo-pickle.peatix.com), with advance registration and advance payment. Fees, capacity and eligibility are given on each application page, and places are managed day by day. Because these are temporary outdoor courts with nets pitched in a park rather than an indoor facility, note in advance that rain can bring cancellation or changes.
The venue is a new metropolitan park created by the redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien area, with good access from the station and plenty of foot traffic even on weekdays. Unlike a permanent roofed facility, an outdoor park gives passersby more chances to see a court in use. An outdoor site in central Tokyo, likethe 3-on-3 event held on the roof of Tokyo Tower, carries the same aim of cutting the sport into the field of view of people who do not know it.
Why pickleball was placed between HYROX and basketball
What stands out in this venue plan is that pickleball is not a standalone event but shares the space with three sports of different character. HYROX is a high-intensity race combining running with eight functional training stations, offering Beginner, Open and Doubles classes. Basketball adds half-court rentals, free court time for elementary and junior high school students on weekdays from 15:00 to 17:00, and a PICK UP PLAYGROUND CAMP on October 3 and 4. Pickleball sits between the sport that wrings out every drop of sweat and the one children can pick up freely.
Bundling activities of different intensity into one park lets visitors choose by their fitness and mood. Someone who shies away from HYROX drifts to pickleball; someone who has moved their body on a pickleball court stops to watch HYROX. The design has the sports feeding each other participants. Given that pickleball has built its appeal on a low barrier to entry, where rallies keep going even for people who are not athletic, sitting next to high-intensity fitness is a good fit.
The schedules and booking routes for the three sports on one page
Each sport has its own dates and booking method, so it helps to sort them out before visiting. Below is what can be confirmed from the venue information.
| Sport | Period | Main time slots | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | October 1-14 | Given on the application page | Peatix (opens September 8, advance payment) |
| HYROX | September 29 - October 14 | Weekday evenings from 19:00; several slots from morning to night on weekends and holidays | Peatix (opens September 8, advance payment) |
| Basketball (half-court rental) | October 1-14 | Free for elementary and junior high school students, weekdays 15:00-17:00 | Booking expected to open in early September |
Pickleball and HYROX both take advance payment, so turning up on the day gets you nowhere once the places are gone. Check the Peatix page for the day you want for availability and price before heading to the park.
Weekday slots from 19:00 aim at the working generation
HYROX's weekday slots at 19:00 and 20:30 say a lot about who this venue is after. The focus is not on people with free time during the day but on working adults who can stop by after work. Pickleball's detailed times are on its own application page, but if the venue is designed to draw out evening demand for exercise, Tokyo office workers picking up a paddle after clocking off are a main target.
Drawing the working generation outdoors at night lines up with the move toward permanent courts in the capital. As Mitsui Fudosanopened Tokyo's first permanent courts, four of them outdoors, in Toyosu, more attempts are being made to run idle urban space and parks through to weekday nights. The 16 days at Meiji Park look strongly like a demand test ahead of something permanent, a chance to watch how people gather over a short run and to collect material on where to commit to permanent courts next.
2,000 visitors over two editions: where is Tokyo's entrance headed
According to TLP, Wellness Park has drawn a combined 2,000 participants over its previous two editions. That is roughly 1,000 people per edition, handled comfortably in an outdoor park in central Tokyo. Pickleball tasters on their own show the same, as withthe free two-session taster Shibuya Ward held, where places filled in a short time. The widening base shows up in the numbers.
The strength of a multi-sport event is that it does not limit first contact with pickleball to people who came on purpose. Someone who came for HYROX or basketball plays a quick game on the court next door. That accidental entrance picks up people a standalone taster misses. Growth in Tokyo is running on two tracks, building dedicated facilities and riding on existing crowd-pullers, and Meiji Park is the leading example of the second. For players, and for businesses thinking about running a facility, how well the outdoor park plus multi-sport event format sticks is worth watching.
Practical information to check before you go
If you are considering going, check these first. The venue is Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park at 5-7 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku, with good access by public transport. Pickleball and HYROX take advance registration and payment through Peatix, so secure a place on the day you want rather than relying on walk-ups. Being outdoors, it is exposed to the weather, and rain can mean cancellation or changes. Fees, capacity, what to bring and age limits are governed by each sport's application page; no single set of figures has been published as of this article. Whether rackets and shoes can be borrowed is also safest to check there.
Playing in a park differs from an indoor court in ball feel and wind. Anyone not used to outdoor balls should start with softer shots on the assumption that the wind will carry the ball, which keeps rallies going even on a first outing.
How to read this beyond the 16 days
The temporary courts at Meiji Park come down on October 14. But the turnout and reaction over these 16 days become test material for the next permanent court plan or a rollout to other parks. The organizers are measuring in numbers how many people pickleball can draw on prime central Tokyo land. The most concrete next action on the visitor's side is to open the Peatix page for a day that interests you, check availability and price, and try an outdoor rally once. What you feel there is what pushes Tokyo's next court into being.
Source:Wellness Park Tokyo AUTUMN 2026 event details (PR TIMES)
