Hamanako Garden Park, located in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, was built on the site of the 2004 International Horticultural Exposition "Pacific Flora" and the "21st National City Greening Shizuoka Fair." It is a green city park where you can enjoy the four seasons.

There are more than 20 facilities such as the 50m-high observatory that is the symbol of the park, the colorful "Flower Museum", and the "Pleasure Boat Cruise" that operates the waterways in the Hamanako. You can enjoy the beautiful seasonal nature.

This time, the Life Designs Editorial Team actually went to Hamanako Garden Park!

What is Hamanako Garden Park?

Hamanako Garden Park is a city park located in Nishi Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka. It was used as the venue for Hamanako Flower Expo held in 2004, and was re-opened after being refurbished!

The 56-hectare park is divided into the western area, the town area, the village area, and the cycling road inside the park. The park is perfect for families, with a water play area that is popular with children, a pleasure boat called the Garden Cruise, and events and hands-on classes.

It is also a nice point that the entrance fee is free!

Access & admission fee

<From Hamamatsu Station>
Bus: About 60 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Station
Taxi: About 10 minutes by taxi from JR Bentenjima Station
Car: About 15 minutes from Hamana Bypass Tsuboi IC

Admission fee: Free
Observation tower: 300 yen for adults, 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students, 200 yen for seniors over 70, 200 yen for people with disabilities
Garden Cruise: 600 yen for adults (1,000 yen for round trip), 300 yen for children (500 yen for round trip)

Rent a family bike!

A family bicycle that can be rented for 1,000 yen per hour is recommended for exploring the vast park. It's a four-seater bike, so it's perfect for families with small children. It has a roof, so you can rest assured even on hot sunny days.

Kid's Plaza

The first place I came to was the "Kid's Plaza" in the town area. In addition to large net playground equipment, there are slides and spring-type playground equipment, and children can play freely.

The floor is made of artificial grass, so it is safe for children to run around.

This is the Health Expressway (Foot Pot Trail). It hurts!

Try the challenge!

In spring and autumn, the entire square is decorated with seasonal flowers called “Hana Hiroba (flower plaza)”. A geoglyph is drawn in the flower garden, and you can enjoy the pattern floating in the sea of flowers from the 50m high observation tower.

Look forward to seeing what kind of pattern you can see!

Pleasure Boat Garden Cruise

In the park, you can also enjoy leisurely cruising on the pleasure boat garden cruise while looking at the cute flowers and nature.

Operating location: East-West Waterway West Wharf (near Water Play Plaza) to East Wharf (near Flower Museum)

Observatory & Kaede Bridge

A 50m high observation tower located in the center of the park. From the observation room on the top floor, you can see the whole view of the garden park and the beautiful scenery of Hamanako.

Right next to the observation tower is the Kaede Bridge, which spans the east-west waterway. You can also see works such as photographs and paintings in the area where the roof is attached as "Kaede Bridge Gallery".

As you walk along the bridge, you will be healed by the scenery rich in nature.

Central lawn square

The approximately 6,000m² lawn area is free to use for badminton, ball games, and more. You can have a picnic, enjoy sports, and spend your time however you like.

International Garden

Let's go to the village area! In the "International Garden" area, the traditional garden styles of Nepal, China, Korea, England, Italy, etc. are reproduced, and you can feel as if you have visited a foreign country.

Gardens from 15 countries that were reproduced at the 2004 Flower Expo and 8 gardens that were exhibited at the 2009 World Garden Competition are preserved.

The gardens, which have different tastes in each country, are all very nice.

Flower tree garden

Sasanqua (camellia japonica) and camellias in winter, and plums and daffodils in early spring will delight your eyes. The Chinese juniper planted at the entrance is a symbol tree, so be sure to check it out when you visit.

Take a break at a coffee stand "TIME DRIP COFFEE"

Finally, let's go to the coffee stand to take a break. "TIME DRIP COFFEE" in the park is mainly for to-go, and you can enjoy authentic coffee. It's great to have hand drip coffee in the garden!

For those who don't like coffee, there are also drinks such as homemade "domestic pesticide-free lemonade" and "strawberry milk". If you go to Hamanako Garden Park, this is a place you won't forget to stop by.

This time, we introduced “Hamanako Garden Park,” which is perfect for family outings. It's a spot that you can enjoy all year round, so be sure to visit.