Tennis at Higashiyama Park: A Group Day Plan With Coach Transfers
A group day plan for Asian Games tennis at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Chikusa-ku (27 Sept to 3 Oct): coach timings, lunch stops and park time.
Sep 5, 2026·✍️ olablog·⏱ 6 min read
A group day plan for Asian Games tennis at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Chikusa-ku (27 Sept to 3 Oct): coach timings, lunch stops and park time.
Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, hosts two racket sports at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026: soft tennis from 18 to 23 September, which starts before the opening ceremony, and tennis from 27 September to 3 October. For a group, the venue sits inside a large city park on the east side of Nagoya, which makes it one of the more pleasant places to spend a whole day, and one of the easier venues to combine with a lunch stop and some downtime.
This article lays out a full-day plan built around a coach: hotel pickup, drop-off at the park, the session, a lunch stop and the return. It also covers the two-tournament calendar so you do not book a day for "tennis" and find the soft tennis draw finished a week earlier.
As with every venue at these Games, parking for private coaches is not guaranteed and session times must be checked on the official schedule.
Two tournaments, two different weeks
| Event | Dates | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Soft tennis | 18 to 23 September | Begins the day before the opening ceremony |
| Tennis | 27 September to 3 October | Overlaps the second week of the Games |
Soft tennis is a distinct sport with its own draw and following. If your group came for tennis proper, the dates that matter are 27 September to 3 October. Check the official schedule for which courts and sessions are ticketed on your day.
A sample group day, step by step
Times are placeholders to show the shape of the day. Replace them with your actual gate time from the official schedule.
- Hotel lobby, 60 to 90 minutes before gate time. The drive from central Nagoya to Chikusa-ku is a city trip, traffic-dependent. Add boarding time for the group.
- Drop-off at the agreed point. The coach cannot be assumed to park at the venue. Walk to the entrance, allowing time for ticket and bag checks.
- Session. Tennis sessions can run long; fix a regroup time at the exit rather than a "when it finishes" plan.
- Lunch. See the lunch section below. Either a restaurant stop the coach drives to, or bento boxes eaten in the park.
- Park time or a second session. Higashiyama Park is a large green space; the coach can wait off-site while the group walks.
- Pickup at the agreed point. Give the driver a firm time and the group a firm place.
- Return or onward. Straight back to the hotel, or on to dinner in Sakae.
Late September is 20 to 30 °C and humid. Outdoor courts mean sun for spectators; hats, water and sunscreen are not optional, and a light rain jacket belongs in every bag because typhoon season is not finished.
The park around the courts
Higashiyama Park is better known to locals for its zoo and botanical garden than for tennis. Whether those are open on your date, and what they cost, should be checked in advance; do not promise the group an animal or a greenhouse before you know. What the park does offer regardless is space: a place for a group to spread out at lunch, for children to run, and for the coach driver to have a clearly defined pickup spot away from the venue gates.
Planning tip: if the coach drops the group at one edge of the park and collects from another, everyone walks in one direction across the park rather than doubling back. Agree both points with the driver beforehand.
Lunch stop planning for a coach group
Feeding 30 people near a sports venue on an event day is harder than it sounds. Three approaches, in order of reliability:
- Bento boxes pre-ordered and carried on the coach. Most reliable. Eat in the park. Bring rubbish bags; Japanese parks have few bins.
- A restaurant that has confirmed a group booking. Reliable if booked in advance and if the coach can stop nearby. Nagoya's signature dishes, hitsumabushi and miso katsu, are worth building a stop around.
- "We will find something." Not reliable with a group. Queues on event days are long and a 45-minute wait eats the afternoon.
Whichever you choose, tell the driver, because a restaurant stop adds a leg to the day and affects the quote.
Coach or subway for this venue
The Higashiyama subway line runs from Nagoya Station towards the east of the city, so a group based near the station has a rail option for the inbound trip. Check the official venue page for the nearest station and the walking route. The case for the coach here is the whole-day shape: lunch stop, park time, no counting heads on platforms, and a single vehicle for the return when everyone is tired. For groups under 10, a 7-seat Alphard or a private car with driver by the hour may make more sense than a minibus.
Vehicle sizes and what fits a park day
- 7-seat Alphard: a family or a small VIP group.
- 17 to 22-seat minibus: a club or a school group of one class.
- 26 to 29-seat Coaster: mid-size groups, still easy to stop in a park district.
- 44 to 53-seat coach: large supporter groups; expect a drop-off further from the gates.
How to book with OlaChill
Send the date, gate time as printed on your ticket, headcount, hotel and whether you want a lunch stop or evening onward leg, and OlaChill replies within 24 hours with a quote for a charter coach with driver. Pricing depends on hours, distance, tolls, parking and the driver's meals, so a day with a lunch stop and a Sakae dinner is quoted differently from a straight there-and-back.
FAQ
Is soft tennis the same as tennis?
No. Soft tennis is a separate sport with its own dates, 18 to 23 September. Tennis runs 27 September to 3 October at the same venue. Book the week that matches the sport you want.
Can we park the coach in Higashiyama Park?
Do not plan on it. Private coach parking at Games venues is limited and never guaranteed. Plan a drop-off and a timed pickup at points agreed with the driver.
Are the zoo and botanical garden open during the Games?
Check their opening days and hours directly before the trip. Treat them as a possible bonus, not a promise.
What if it rains on an outdoor tennis day?
Sessions may be delayed or rescheduled. Keep the coach booking flexible on hours, carry rain gear, and have an indoor fallback in the city such as the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.
How far in advance should we book the coach?
As soon as your tickets are confirmed. Demand for coaches during the Games is high and vehicles for popular dates go first.
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