Hiraoka Park

Hiraoka Park is a prefectural urban park in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, established in 1938. It consists of two ridgelines—Nukata-yama and Hiraoka-yama—with the Toyoura River flowing down through the central area. The park covers 43.4 hectares and is well known for seasonal scenery such as plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and autumn foliage. When the Kongo-Ikoma Quasi-National Park was designated in 1958, the entire area of Hiraoka Park was included. The park’s plum grove was also selected as one of the “Osaka Midori no Hyakusen” (100 Green Selections of Osaka), but after infection by Plum Pox Virus, all plum trees were cut down after the 2016 bloom; restoration is said to take more than four years. There are hiking routes leading toward Mt. Ikoma, and from the lookout you can see the Osaka Plain and the Rokko mountain range; on clear days, even Awaji Island and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge are visible. The park also features sites such as Kuragari Pass (an Edo-period route used for sankin-kotai processions and commoners’ Ise pilgrimages) and Kamitsudake Hongu, regarded as the founding place of Hiraoka Shrine. The playground area “Mori no Omochabako,” with a roller slide and composite play equipment, is also popular.