If you’re travelling through Kobe with kids and happen to enjoy a cheeky PokéStop spin or two while they burn off energy, this one’s for you.
We stumbled across this playground by accident after a long day at Kobe Animal Kingdom. We simply went for a walk after visiting the animal park and came across it, but we ended up staying over an hour. Between the giant slide, the pirate ship, and the sea breeze coming off the bay, it turned into one of the kids, favourite finds in the city.
Why This Playground Stands Out
First of all, the main slide is the selling point. It’s tall. My boy had to do a double take at the top before he committed to going down. It’s a bit more than your typical playground slide.
Next to that, there’s a pirate ship-style climbing frame, a zipline, a sandbox, a solid set of swings, and loads of space to run around. The whole thing is nicely spread out so you’re not crammed in with other families.
Look, it’s a playground. I’m not trying to sell it like it’s a theme park. But if you’re in the area and looking for somewhere to let the kids burn off some steam, it’s worth a stop.
There are benches all around the edge so you can actually sit down, toilets right next to the park, and vending machines within eyesight. Everything you need to relax for an hour. Especially if you’ve just dragged them round Animal Kingdom and somehow they’ve still got energy.
While They Play, You Catch Pokémon
If Pokémon Go has become your guilty pleasure on these playground trips, like it has mine, then this playground is a bit of a win win. The kids have loads to do. A tall slide that takes effort to climb, a pirate ship, a zipline, swings, and a big open space to charge around in. And while they’re doing that, you can get a decent little Pokémon loop in without needing to wander far.
There are PokéStops all around the edge of the park. We hit six just walking slowly while keeping an eye on the action. It’s the kind of setup where you don’t need to choose between switching off completely or standing awkwardly by the swings. You get to walk a bit, play a bit, and supervise without standing still like a lemon.
Once everyone’s had their run, it’s an easy stroll back to Minami Koen Station on the Port Liner.
We didn’t eat here ourselves because we’d already eaten at the Animal Kingdom and just happened to stumble across the park afterwards. But if we hadn’t, this would have been a great spot for a cheap family meal. The playground is right across the road from IKEA, which means you’ve got an easy, budget-friendly food option just a short walk away. Perfect if the kids need feeding before the train ride home.
How to Get There
View it on google maps by clicking here.
