Tonboike Park

Tonboike Park is a little inconvenient to access because you need to take a bus from the nearest stations—JR Hanwa Line Shimomatsu Station or Nankai Main Line Kishiwada Station—but once you arrive, it’s a park where you can easily spend a full day. The name “Tonboike Park” comes from the fact that the irrigation pond in this area came to be called “Tonbo Pond” (Dragonfly Pond) during the Edo period. Within its 58.3-hectare grounds, there are plenty of kid-friendly attractions, including the colorful “Dragonfly Play Equipment” centered around two dragonfly-shaped slides, the “Butterfly Play Equipment” area with activities such as rolling giant balls, and a 56-meter-long roller slide. Beyond that, the park also offers a large lawn where you can barbecue, a large pond frequented by ducks and swans, an observation deck with views over Osaka Bay and even the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, an area where about 8,500 hydrangeas of around 50 varieties bloom, and an area with 16 tennis courts—so there are many ways to enjoy the park. It’s also recommended to buy food at Roadside Station Aisai Land (Michi-no-Eki Aisai Land), located at the final stop of the “Roadside Station Aisai Land” bus route, and have a picnic in the park.