Imanoura Park in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is a popular local spot crowded with children on weekends and during consecutive holidays.
There is new large playground equipment and a covered lawn area for lots of fun.
Very popular with children! Kuru Kuru Slide
Incidentally, in our house, "because of the spinning slide."
This is why we call it "Kuru Kuru no Koen" (Park of Kuru Kuru).
Whenever I ask my 4-year-old daughter where she wants to go on her day off, she usually says, "Kuru Kuru Park! She usually says, "Kuru Kuru no Koen! She usually says, "Kuru Kuru no Koen!
This is why our family lives in Fukuroi City, next to Iwata City, where the park is located, and even though it is a 20-30 minute drive away, we go out there two to three times a month.
I know many of the children who go to the same school as my daughter, and we sometimes bump into each other when we go there.
That's how popular this new park is with children in the local community.
New playground equipment had been installed for several years, and in the spring of 2022, a new bridge connecting the east and west areas was built to complete the renewal of Imanoura Park.
The area is divided into east and west areas across the bridge, and there are two places where visitors can play in the water.
East Area
One is the "Fountain Plaza" in the East Area.
The circular plaza is gently indented toward the center and has a number of holes in the ground through which water spurts out.
The water pops out of the hole, stops after a while, pops out again, and so on, so the children enjoy bathing in the water without getting bored.
When I went there, there were children ranging from 1- to 2-year-olds who were waddling to their older brothers and sisters in elementary school,
The children enjoyed bathing in the water as much as they could, yapping and screaming as the water came out of the ground at the right moment.
My daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, was surprised by the force of the water and the cheers of the children, and was staring at the scene from a short distance away.
I thought to myself, "Why don't you play more? I thought inwardly, "I'm not sure my daughter, with her cautious nature, could get excited in an environment with so many children around that she didn't know..." But then I reconsidered and devoted myself to people-watching with my daughter, which is also a good memory of my summer.
Shaved ice and cotton candy stalls are often set up next to this fountain plaza on weekends and during holidays.
My daughter wanted strawberry shaved ice and was happy when I bought it for her.
The food stalls made me feel good, and as a parent, I was happy to be able to buy shaved ice for my child and do something that felt like a summer vacation.
A year has passed and my daughter has grown up a bit, and now I want to revisit to see if I can enjoy bathing in the water as much as I would like to.
West Area
The other is the "jabu-jabu spot" in the west area.
There is a different type of device from that in the east area, with water pouring out of it in a gushing stream.
The water that flows out of it flows into a shallow man-made river.
There is a natural river beyond, where you can also get in the water and play.
Overall, the river is narrow enough for an adult to cross to the other side with a large step.
The amount of water is just enough to keep a child's feet from knee-deep.
We played with caution because it is dangerous to slip on the stones, but it is not too big and it is easy to keep an eye on the children.
I was with my then 3 year old daughter, my 0 year and 10 month old daughter and my husband.
My younger daughter, who is still less than a year old, was able to dip her feet and hands in the water that was pouring down,
They were very excited and happy.
I want to touch more water!" and he told me by his gestures that he wanted to touch the water more, and we had fun playing with lots of water.
They seemed to find it very interesting to see the water splashing and flowing differently when their hands and feet touched it.
And if you look closely at the river bottom and behind stones in the shallow river, you will see many small, red crabs.
Many children around us had brought buckets, taddles, and bug catching baskets, and boys of elementary school age showed us the crabs they had caught.
My daughter was too scared to touch the crabs herself, but she was very interested in them. She told me every time she found one.
It is nice to have the opportunity to experience nature as well as artificial playground equipment and fountains.
I felt that the presence of living things made the children more lively.
A very popular spot that is just so popular with children.
That's all for the experience of the two water play spots in Imanoura Park.
Anyway, it is a very popular local spot that is surprisingly popular with children.
Advice for visiting Imanoura Park
Please see below for a list of various notes to check before you go, including clothing, parking, etc,
We hope you will take advantage of the latest information on our website and other resources when you visit.
Regarding clothing and belongings, I would need a swimsuit, towel, sandals, change of clothes, and diapers for water play only for children in diapers.
I also think that a water play toy would be even more enjoyable.
When I was there, many children were playing with water guns.
Children who want to catch crabs should have a trowel, bucket or insect basket or other container.
As for the swimsuits, it seemed as if the children had started playing in the water as they came to the park, and there were a few who were in the water with their pants down and a few who were playing in their underwear.
There are no fences or other blindfolds around the area, so if you can prepare in advance, I think it would be safer to bring a bathing suit.
Also, most of the water play spots are in the sun, so hats and sunscreen are necessary.
Don't forget to stay hydrated!
In both the east and west areas, the fountains do not produce water except during the summer months.
The fountain begins about mid-July.
The fountain will end around early September.
When we called, we were told that no specific date had been set and that the city would determine the start and end dates of the fountain based on the number of people using the park and how they were doing.
In addition, there are three free parking lots: one near the health playground in the west area, one near the playground in the east area, and one near the lawn in the east area.
The total number of parking spaces is about 100.
It gets quite crowded on weekends and holidays, so if you go near noon, the car is often full....
It is common to see cars parked along the grassy plaza, waiting for a parking space to become available.
Ideally, if possible, go early in the morning to secure a parking space closest to the area you want to play in while it is still available.
Imanoura, Iwata City is an area with convenience stores and restaurants around the park and a large shopping center a short drive away.
It is also convenient for letting the children play to their heart's content during the day and then return home after playing, shopping, or eating out.
This was an experience and introduction to a park where you can play in the water.
The park is a fun and attractive place for children.
If you have not yet visited, I encourage you to do so!
