Monday 4 July 2016

こどもの森わんぱくらんど Kodomo no mori wanpaku nando- Children's forest naughty land.

Out of the back of Odawara there is a fantastic park called : こどもの森わんぱくらんど- Kodomo no mori wanpaku rando.


This place is huge.  It is on the Yokohama side of Hakone, and actually feel like you are already in among the mountains. It is a huge park surrounded by forest. There is a rope bridge, two trains (one that runs on the road, and one that runs on a track), lots of grassy areas, a big long grass forest path, a big rope skills obstacle course for the older kids, pony rides, feeding of goats and sheep at certain times, a splash river for kids to paddle in, and lots of playgrounds.


It was such a lovely day and quite hot, so Pi loved the splash river. If you think your kids might go in don't forget the towel and change of clothes.




He also had his very first pony ride at the park. They don't have an age restriction, but the child must be able to sit up by themselves. Parents aren't allowed in the enclosure, but we voiced our concerns and one of the workers walked next to him to make sure he didn't fall off (One worker is always leading the horse). Pi loved it. I think it was 300yen for the ride, which was quite short but worth it for the experience.
 

Pi also LOVED the train. While we were playing on a grassy field, we could see the 'road train'  (a train that runs on the road) come past every now and then, and every time it captured his attention. We promised him a ride, and the smile on his face was worth any cost. I think it was 300yen per adult. Children under school age are free. I think school age children were 100yen.




Pi also had fun on the various playgrounds, and just running around.



It was a really lovely day.

Entry to the park itself is free. Car parking was 510 per car. There aren't really any places to eat, but on the day we went there were a few food vans. On that day there was Yakisoba, crepes, pizza, and a Koko ichibanya curry van. If you have time, maybe bringing a bento is best. There are plenty of vending machines and toilets. Oh, and there is a camping ground attached too.




All up, I highly recommend it.

The links below are in Japanese. I recommend running translate through chrome.

Access to the park: http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/public-i/park/wanpaku/park/wanpaku-access.html

About the park: http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/public-i/park/wanpaku/park/o-wanpaku.html

No comments:

Post a Comment