Take a time piece to avoid overtime charges. There are the boats and two types of paddle boats. Don't make my mistake - if you're going to take a paddle boat, don't take the swan. You will have very limited view of both behind you, as well as straight ahead. The boats are difficult to steer, but most people go around the pond clockwise. It may take you a few minutes to get your bearings and the hang of steering. Once you do it's smooth sailing, but you will need to paddle in reverse as you encounter other people who are finding their way, or paying insufficient attention to the kid that they've let steer while they take some nice pictures. It's a lovely, if slightly stressful, 25 minutes on the water. Yes, you want to budget 5 to 7 minutes to head back to the dock, and you'll notice that you've already used a few minutes just to get in the boat.

Great spot to see the cherry blossoms, grey koi, many different types of birds and many options for food nearby. The public restrooms were not what one would typically see in terms of neatness. This park is the only place in Tokyo where there were people who looked distinctly homeless, but they were tidy, quiet and polite, like everyone else.