Many people take their children to Todoroki Valley because a walk through it offers a wide variety of educational experiences, from observing aquatic life and wetland plants to studying the valley’s geological strata and learning about Japanese history through ancient tunnel tombs.

Todoroki Valley Park

Todoroki Valley is a roughly one-kilometer-long ravine located at the southern edge of the Musashino Plateau. Just before the Yazawa River merges with the Tama River, it passes through an area eroded by the Kokubunji Cliffline—a river terrace formed by the Tama River. This makes Todoroki famous as a rare and unique valley within the Tokyo metropolitan area.

According to local legend, the name "Todoroki" comes from the word todoroita (roared/thundered), describing how the sound of the Fudo Waterfall echoed throughout the valley. Situated above the waterfall is Todoroki Fudoson Temple, which was established as a sacred site by En no Gyoja during the Heian period. It is said that Buddhist monks from various regions once traveled here to practice ascetic training under the cascading water.

Inside the valley lies the "Todoroki Valley No. 3 Tunnel Tomb" (Yokoana Kofun). This is one of a cluster of side-chamber tombs built into the cliff on the eastern slope of the Yazawa River, and is estimated to date from the late Kofun period to the Nara period.

— From the inscription on the stone monument in Todoroki Valley