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If you’re a regular reader of Winging It Worldwide, you’ll know we love a good free park / playground, and Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka might just be the best one we’ve found.
Click here to see our favourite parks from our home back in West London.
Just a 30 minute train ride from Hakata Station, this vast national park sits on a slender sandbar surrounded by the sea on almost all sides. It offers year round flower displays, playful animals, and an unbelievable number of playgrounds, each packed with enough equipment to keep even the most energetic kids happy.
If like us you’re a family trying to keep travel costs down but still want a proper day out experience, it’s well worth it. You’ll pay a small entrance fee, rent bicycles, and spend an entire day exploring gardens, zoo enclosures, and splash pools.
In this guide we’ll show you how to reach the park, why renting a bike is essential, what to see once you’re there, and a few insider tips for visiting with toddlers or older children.
Getting there
Where is Uminonakamichi?
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park occupies a long peninsula between Hakata Bay and the Genkai Sea. It’s part of a national government park system and is absolutely huge, it stretches nearly 4 km from west to east.
By train
Take the JR Kagoshima Line from Hakata Station to Kashii, then transfer to the JR Kashii Line and get off at Uminonakamichi Station. The station is directly across from the park’s west gate. The trip takes around 40 minutes and costs roughly 560 yen.
By ferry
You can also take a ferry from Momochi Seaside Park across Hakata Bay. The ride takes about 20 minutes and gives you great views of Fukuoka Tower and the city skyline. Ferries don’t run as often, so check the timetable before you go. Tickets cost around 1,200 yen.
By car
There’s plenty of parking at the park, with around 2,900 spaces across several gates. It costs 600 yen for standard cars, 300 yen for motorbikes, and 1,600 yen for buses.
Remember if travelling by taxi, don’t use Uber click here to understand what to use instead.
When you arrive, you’ll find a network of clearly marked paths leading from the west gate. There’s a visitor center where you can buy tickets, rent bikes, and pick up maps in English or Japanese. If you’re visiting during peak flower season, it’s worth arriving early – the bike rental queue gets long fast.
Pro Tip
If the que at the bike rental is busy when you arrive, just keep walking there is another bicycle rental center just a 5 minute walk further into the park, near the first children’s playground. It’s always less busier as everyone stops at the first one.
Why renting a bicycle is a absolute must!
Just living our best life exploring Uminonakamichi Seaside Park by bike
Uminonakamichi is enormous. You can jump on the park bus, but it sticks to a slow loop and you end up walking most of it anyway. A bike turns the whole place into a different day out. We only stayed in Fukuoka for five days and our ride through the park was one of the best days we had in Japan. We enjoyed it so much we went back the next morning and did it again. Sun on our backs. Kids pedalling ahead. Nothing fancy. Just a simple, brilliant family day. The parks in Japan are built for children of every age and this one is no exception. You get bikes with stabilisers, baskets, child seats and even tandems if you want to lean into being a cheesy couple. Rent the bikes. You will not regret it.
What’s inside the park?
Flower Hill and Seasonal Gardens
Flower Hill is the first place that pulls you in. Fields of colour run in every direction and the whole area feels alive. It is one of the most Instagrammable parks in Japan and anyone who loves taking photos will be in heaven here. Long paths, bright flowerbeds and open space create endless chances for great shots. The size of the place and the sheer number of flowers make it unforgettable.
The rose garden is one of the standout spots in Flower Hill.
Animal Forest (Free Zoo)
Right in the centre of the park you find Animal Forest. It is a free zoo included in your entry ticket. We are usually careful about animal attractions in Asia, but the animals here looked healthy and had plenty of space. You wander past capybaras, kangaroos and small monkeys and the whole place feels calm rather than staged. It is a simple and gentle part of the day and a nice surprise inside a public park.
Kangaroos relaxing inside the Animal Forest, the free zoo area within the park.
Splash Park
The splash park was our kids favourite zone by a long way. It is free and open to anyone with a park ticket. The area has a shallow pool, soft flooring and plenty of space for little ones to cool off. Adults wait at the edge which gives you a rare chance to rest while the kids stay busy. A huge playground sits right beside it so you can move back and forth without walking far. Vending machines nearby cover drinks, coffee and ice cream.
Swimming Pool
The main swimming pool complex is open only in summer. It usually runs from early July until late August or early September, although this can shift each year depending on weather. The pool is a paid attraction inside the park. You can buy a normal park entry ticket or a combined ticket that includes both the park and the pool.
Combined ticket prices
Adult (15 plus): 2100 yen / £11.40 GBP / $13.50 USD
Child in elementary or junior high: 1100 yen / £6.00 GBP / $7.00 USD
Preschool child aged three and over: 400 yen / £2.20 GBP / $2.55 USD
The pool area has its own splash zones and shallow play pools. These are only for visitors who hold a pool ticket.
There is also a separate free splash park inside the main grounds which is included with standard park entry. It sits near the outside of the pool area. It runs all year and has shallow water, soft flooring and space for small children to cool off. Adults stay around the edge while kids move in and out of the water.
Adventure Playgrounds
There are more than ten playgrounds spread throughout the park and each one has its own theme. Some are pirate themed with climbing nets and decks. Others use animal or sea creature designs. Several zones are full adventure areas with obstacle course layouts, balance beams and big slides suited to older children. There are also places where you cross soft water features on ropes or short zip lines. Everything feels clean, solid and well maintained.
One of the many themed adventure playgrounds scattered across the park.
Lawn Spaces and Picnics
The park has around twenty four hectares of open lawn, so it is always easy to find a quiet place to sit as a family. It is one of the best picnic parks in Japan because the grounds are well kept and the spaces are wide. If you want to buy food there is an eating area beside the large trampoline zone. And because this is Japan you are never far from a vending machine. A two minute cycle in any direction will find cold drinks, coffee or ice cream.
Final Thoughts, Family Tips and Opening Information
Uminonakamichi works because it is simple. You can take the day as slow or as active as you want and the park handles both styles without any effort on your side. The paths are easy for strollers, the signs are clear and the facilities sit exactly where you need them. Nursing rooms and hot water stations are placed around the main routes and the lawns give you space to stop whenever the kids need a break. Shade can be limited in summer so bring water and sun cream, but beyond that it is an easy day out. We were only in Fukuoka for five days and we still came back to this park twice. We are not the type of family who usually repeat activities on a short trip, but the day was so good that we wanted it again. Cycling through flower fields, stopping at playgrounds and drifting between the zoo and the lawns made it feel like a perfect family loop. Great value for money, very little stress and something that works for children of every age. If you want a family friendly day trip in Fukuoka, this is it. If you want one of the best parks in Japan for kids, this is it. And if you want a place where you can spend a whole day without burning through your budget, this is also it. The park is clean, well maintained and easy to understand. Get the bikes and enjoy the space. It is one of the easiest wins you will have on any Japan itinerary.
