Hirakata Park with Kids
Last Updated on October 18, 2025 by Kay
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Hirakata Park is an amazing place to visit with children, especially if they’re in elementary school and younger. My daughter has visited since she was four years old, and it’s one of her favorite amusement parks. A friend of mine with three kids also loves it, and her children only started to outgrow the park once they were in high school.
What makes this fairy-tale themed park especially great for families is how kid-friendly it is. With 39 rides and attractions, there’s something for every age. Even babies and toddlers can enjoy a handful of gentler rides!
Needless to say, kids can easily spend hours in Hirakata Park.
Table of Contents
What Makes Hirakata Park Great for Kids
One of the best things about Hirakata Park is that the wait times are typically short. Like, surprisingly short. The longest we waited was maybe 15 minutes for a roller coaster. Most rides only had a 5-minute wait, if there was even a wait.
Granted, we always go on weekdays so weekend wait times are a little longer.
The hours of operation are also great for young families because typically it opens from 10 AM to 5 PM, meaning you won’t be super exhausted from a long day. (We always arrive early at Universal Studios Japan and end up staying later than we had hoped, which can make getting through the next day tough.)
Hirakata Park has its own mascots that show up throughout the day (the schedule is posted behind the Magical Lagoon Stage, which looks like a mountain). They’re super friendly and will happily take a photo with you!
In my experience, kids in junior high and younger will get the most out of the park. There are a few rides for older teens, but the bulk of the attractions are designed with younger children in mind.
Here are the two best areas for little ones:
- Peek-a-Boo Town (near the East Gate)
- The area near Hub Plaza on the west side of the park
Tips for Hirakata Park with Kids
I talk more about the ticket system in this article, but if you’re visiting with a young child who is not used to amusement park rides, I suggest paying per ride at first, just in case they’re not into it. You can also always purchase a free pass afterwards. Kids under two years old can enter the park and go on rides for free, but parents have to pay for themselves.
I also recommend visiting during winter so they can at least see the illuminations (free) and possibly play in the snow park (for an additional fee) if they don’t like rides. Otherwise, it might not be worth the trip if you’re traveling from far away.
If you’re visiting during summer (which I don’t recommend), keep in mind that some of the rides might stop operating if it gets too hot. The seats on some rides might also be too hot for kids.
If you need a stroller, you can rent one from the Information Counter near the entrance for 500 yen. There are also nursing rooms as well as changing stations.
We always like to have lunch at the McDonald’s in the park, but it does get very busy and it can be hard to find a table sometimes, which is why we usually don’t have lunch until around 1:30 PM.
There are lots of on-site restaurants as well, and a food court called Gnomes.
Gnomes Food Court has Japanese-style meals like ramen, udon, and katsu.
You can also bring your own food, too, if you like.
For general info like ticket prices, opening hours, and how to get there, as well as seasonal events, check out my full guide to Hirakata Park.
The Best Rides for Babies and Toddlers at Hirakata Park
If you’re visiting with babies and toddlers, there are quite a few rides they can go on. These rides might also appeal to older children as well, so don’t skip reading this part if you have preschoolers or kids in elementary school!
None of these rides has height restrictions.
Gnomes Train
This train ride goes through a section on the west side of the park, including the Rose Garden. It’s especially beautiful in winter when you can see the illuminations. My daughter absolutely loved it.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Fantasy Cruise
This is another attraction that I recommend riding during winter because of the illuminations. It’s also very gentle and perfect for tiny tots.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Dolphin Paradise
This is a gentle water coaster ride. At age six, my daughter thinks it’s not exciting enough for her, but she loved it when she was four years old.
Kids can ride with a parent, but if they’re taller than 115 cm, they have to ride alone.
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Circuit 2000
This ride is for all the little racers and car lovers out there. Children can “drive” in a car along a closed loop track, maintaining a kid-friendly speed for an enjoyable experience.
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Merry-go-round
This ride needs no explanation! What I like about this Merry-go-round is that it has two levels, so you can get a bit of a view from the second floor.
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Helicopter
Kids can ride inside a cart that rotates in the air.
My daughter, at age six, thought this was too baby-ish for her, but if your kids aren’t scared of heights, this looks like a fun ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Panic Racer
This is another ride where kids can drive in a car, but unlike Circuit 2000, one car can fit four people, including parents!
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
World Derby
This is a cute ride where little kids can ride on a faux horse and pretend like they’re racing. May the best rider win!
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Freezer House
This attraction makes you feel like you’ve shrunk down in size and been transported inside a fridge. It’s fun for small kids (my daughter and her friendly certainly got a kick out of it), although I would certainly not pay for this. It’s only worth it if you have a free pass.
The experience lasts maybe 2-3 minutes, tops.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
The Best Rides for Kids at Hirakata Park
If you’re visiting with kids in preschool to elementary school (or even junior high school, according to a local mom friend of mine), here’s what I would recommend.
I’ve also shared rides that will appeal to older kids in this article.
Some of these rides have height restrictions, which I will also share below.
Magical Jumping
My daughter and her friend absolutely loved this ride. It’s like a mini drop tower where you go a little up and a little down, back and forth, before dropping.
There are special, larger seats for adults at the ends, but kids can ride on these seats, too.
Guests must be at least 105 cm tall to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Truck
This is a small roller coaster that’s perfect for kids who don’t like anything too fast. For instance, my daughter’s friend thought the Snoopy roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan was a little too intense, but this was just right for her.
It’s pretty short, so it ends quite quickly, but my daughter and her friend have a blast on it and ride it multiple times. (And us parents do as well!)
There is no height restriction for this ride, but I don’t think my daughter would have liked it when she was a toddler.
Cost without a Free Pass: 300 yen
Little Witch’s Labyrinth
This is a maze where you try to find jewels of a particular color and win on-screen mini-games. If you win at least one of two mini-games, you have the chance to get a prize.
Kids can do this repeatedly and it’s entirely indoors, so my daughter and her friend are huge fans.
I don’t know if they have instructions in English so here’s a brief overview.
You’ll get a card from the staff.
Place the card on the appropriate spot at one of the machines.
The screen will show you two jewel colors. These are the colors you need to search for.
Look for signs that display one of your two jewel colors. Below is what the sign for red jewels looks like.
If you find a machine with your jewel color, place your card on it.
A mini-game will show up on the screen. Use the red button to play. Some games will require you time your button press, while others require you smash the button repeatedly.
After you finish playing two games associated with each of your two jewels, head to the goal (ゴール) to play a final mini-game.You’re only able to play if you successfully won at least one of the two mini-games earlier.
If you win, you get a prize! (We haven’t won yet…)
Cost without a Free Pass: 600 yen
Athletic “try-it”
This is another attraction with no height restriction, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing very young kids unless you’re planning on carefully watching them. The kids here, especially those in elementary school, can be quite rowdy. A couple pushed my daughter out of the way and stepped on her feet.
She and her friend still had fun doing the multiple athletic challenges, although I think it’s only worth visiting after you’ve had your fill of rides.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Haunted House
If you’re looking for the most child-friendly haunted house experience ever, this is it.
My daughter first visited when she was four years old and loved it so much that it has become one of her go-to rides at Hirakata Park.
This haunted house doesn’t involve any walking, which is great for exhausted parents. Instead, you sit in a cart that fits four people (don’t worry, you don’t have to ride with strangers if there are fewer than four in your party) that takes you around the haunted house’s sights, although it’s more of a town if anything.
It’s somewhat dark but absolutely nothing is scary here. You get to see cute Japanese demons (yokai) and ghosts (yurei), and at the very end, you have the chance to get a free group picture!
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen
Octopus Panic
This was yet another favorite of my daughter and her friend. You sit in pairs in a cart that’s sped forward and slightly moved up and down by “octopus arms”.
It seemed a little boring at first, but the cart soon turned around, making you feel like you were being (lightly) moved around by an octopus.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Adventure Safari
This is probably the worst ride at Hirakata Park.
You ride in a car and try to shoot targets located throughout a “safari”. However, it was really hard to see the light from the gun, so we had a hard time aiming. My daughter successfully hit a few, but her friend got absolutely none. The animals don’t move, either, so it wasn’t particularly interesting.
It was overall more frustrating than fun, and absolutely not worth it if you’re paying out of pocket for this.
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen
Strawberry Cafe
This is a teacup ride featuring Sanrio characters, so needless to say, my daughter is a huge fan. The teacups also go super fast (unlike the one at Universal Studios Japan), which makes it really fun.
I especially love the retro look and hope it never changes.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
Honey Bee
This ride has you rise into the air and move up and down while going in circles. My daughter and her friend loved it but it made my stomach, as well as my friend’s, flip a little.
Guests must be at least three years old to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen
ATALANTE!
This is another shooting game, but this time using toy bows and arrows! You shoot targets in apples that are on a fake tree, and it seemed pretty fun, but my daughter and her friend weren’t interested in trying it.
Guests must be at least 90 cm tall to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen
Buran Buran
This ride is basically a swing, which is what my daughter called it happily as she rode. And this makes sense because “buran buran” is the sound in Japanese that a swing makes while you ride.
This ride also has seats dedicated just for adults at the ends, although kids can ride in them, too.
Guests must be at least 90 cm tall to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 400 yen
GURURIMORI
This was hands down my daughter’s favorite attraction. Gururimori means “round and round forest” in Japanese, a perfect name for this attraction since it feels like you’re going around repeatedly trying to accomplish your goal.
Kids choose one of three colorful hamster-like toys, then place it on matching color-coded platforms to “power it up.” For instance, if you have a blue hamster, you need to put it on a platform that has a blue light.
Keep in mind, though, that the light color will change once one particular light color’s power has been used up. This can be super frustrating but I guess that’s part of the fun of the game! This is also why I don’t suggest more than two people in your group choose the same color because almost always, one person won’t be able to get power if the color runs out and changes on a machine, and it’ll take you a little longer to finish the game.
After successfully getting power from several platforms, the hamster cheers, “Goal ikkou!” , which roughly means, “Let’s head to the goal!”
When you’ve gone to the goal post, the staff will direct you to a machine. Place your hamster on the platform and you’ll get a card.
Insert this card into the machine and then battle Smog by pressing the red button repeatedly. If you win, you’ll get a free card pouch. Otherwise, you just get to keep the card you got.
The cards remind me of Pokémon, which is one reason why my daughter (and many other kids) were obsessed. You can play as many times as you like with a free pass, and my daughter was determined to try to get a free pouch, so we played 11 times.
Kids are running around and it’s pretty chaotic, so I was exhausted, but my daughter and her friend had a blast. My daughter’s friend managed to get a pouch but my daughter wasn’t as lucky.
It’s simple, interactive, and tons of fun for kids. There is almost always a line but it moves very quickly. I think this is also easy enough to do if you don’t know Japanese.
Note that there are lots of kids running around, so I wouldn’t recommend very young kids to do this unless you’re watching them like a hawk because older kids might accidentally knock them over.
Cost without a Free Pass: 600 yen
Kite Flyer
For whatever reason, my daughter absolutely refuses to go on this ride, which is a shame because it looks fun! You lie down on your stomach and you’re transported through the air, as if you’re a superhero who can fly!
Guests must be at least 110 cm to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen
Flying Bicycle
I really wanted to try this ride with my daughter, but she had no interest, maybe because she didn’t want to pedal. It reminds me of Merlin’s Apprentice ride at Legoland, and kids who were riding it looked like they were having a great time, so I definitely want to give this a go next time.
Guests must be at least 90 cm to ride.
Cost without a Free Pass: 500 yen