The excellent, family friendly Kazo Hanasaki Water Park

Kazo Hanasaki Water Park made quite an impression on me. It isn’t a huge park, but there is a lot to do in the relatively small area. So much so, I recommend it as one of those parks that it is worth a journey to with kids, even just once. That is, if you are in that area of Saitama!

Kazo Hanasaki Park

POOLS

There are two main attractions of this park. One is the water park, which is available from mid July to end of August. It has a number of different pools, including one for kids, and a Jacuzzi . You can also rent floats, pool beds and a boat for a separate charge. The pools are turned into fishing ponds in the Winter!

BIKES

The other main attraction is the bike hire which includes some pretty unusual and fun bikes. The bikes are charged by the hour for the number of people that can ride them. They have quirky bikes for one, tandems for two (of course!), even a car bike, for want of a better description. Its a bike in the shape of a car, or maybe a car that you cycle! Oh…maybe we call them pedal cars – please comment if you know the answer! Whatever you call it; its great fun. The kids loved this the most.

ATTRACTIONS GALORE!

Kazo Hanasaki park has a lot to offer other than the most popular attractions. The playground has a great big combination piece of equipment. Beside it there are some spring rides and small slides suited to small children. They also have stepping stones, climbing rungs, a little house and other pieces of equipment. There is a large gazebo beside the play area with benches and a couple of tables. Nearby is a wading river that opens early June. The BBQ area can be used during that time too.

There is also a scenic river on the far side of the park lined with magnificent conifer (meta sequoia) trees. Beside it there is a walkway with a wooden path over a type of lotus pond, with other beautiful scenery in different seasons.  

Spring in Kazo Hanasaki Park

Added in 2022. Previously, I had an 'event' post specifically for spring in Kazo Hanasaki Park. But due to ongoing technical problems with the events calendar I removed it in Autumn 2021. I will be adding that information when I can. In the meantime: the cherry blossoms at Kazo Hanasaki Park started to bloom on March 21st 2022. There are approximately 200 somei yoshino sakura in the park. However, Hanasaki has several different types of cherry blossoms, including late blooming yaezakura, so you can usually see cherry blossoms even in mid April.

Autumn in Kazo Hanasaki Park

In Autumn you can see Autumn leaves in the pool area of the park. There are some kochia and cosmos flowers too. There is an avenue of gingko trees from the car park to the pool entrance of the park. The barbecue area is ideal for an Autumn BBQ too. Please note that due to the pandemic you need to book the BBQ area in advance. 

Autumn Festival

Also, in Autumn they have a festival annually. In 2023 it is on October 28th and 29th from 10 am to 4 pm. There is a children's market, food trucks, workshops, gourmet festival, games, bouldering, flea market and stage event. On the Sunday you can see Kazo's famous giant carp windsock too. Official event page.

Other things to do in Kazo Hanasaki Park

There is a lake with pedal, swan and row boats for hire. The pools are used as fishing ponds out of season (don't want to think about that too much!).  The battery cars in the pool area are accessible most of the year. They have putter golf and sports grounds. There is a small flower garden maze and a wide open grass area. The BBQ area is particularly popular. It is very nicely done. And there is even a restaurant on the grounds. Moreover, they have a regular flea market at least once a month (weather permitting). The dates for October 2023:

• Sunday October 15th
• Sunday October 22nd
• Saturday October 28th
• Sunday October 29th

So you see, it is a park worth families with small kids visiting at some point, even out of summer season. If you do plan to go during the summer, please see the up-to-date charges on the website, linked below. The park also recommends that you arrive early to get a parking spot, particularly on Saturdays when the park is at its busiest.

Kazo Hanasaki Park Information

**Please note that some of the services are not available on Mondays, except during the 6 weeks of summer holidays**

Please see the website for up-to-date costs and for any last minute changes due to the Coronavirus.

Address: 1722 Mizubuka, Kazo, Saitama

Tel: 0480-65-7155

URL: Official website (Japanese only)

Access

Train: About a 15 minute walk from Tobu Isesaki Line Hanasaki Station

Car: Approximately 3 kilometers from Kazo Interchange of the ken-o expressway. Parking: Free out of pool season, but once the pool opens it costs 820 yen for the day. Spaces for up to 1,200 cars. Between April and September the car park is open from 8am to 6.30pm. From October to March it closes at 5.30pm.