Banpaku Park with Kids (Expo 70 Commemorative Park)
Last Updated on March 27, 2025 by Kay
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Banpaku Park (also known as Expo 70 Commemorative Park) is hands down one of my favorite places in Osaka to go with my daughter.
It has everything — beautiful nature, playgrounds, as well as an aquarium, a huge shopping mall, and the largest Ferris Wheel in Japan!
In this article, I’ll share all the highlights of this area and why you should visit with your family. Trust me, you’ll have the best time.
Note that in this article, I’ll be using Banpaku Park and Expo 70 Commemorative Park interchangeably.
Table of Contents
What is Banpaku Park?
Banpaku Park (Expo 70 Commemorative Park) is a beautiful area where the Osaka Expo in 1970 took place.
In fact, you’ll still see the famous Tower of the Sun from the 1970 expo in place. My daughter loves this statue, which she called a bird, and always excitedly points it out when she sees it. (Its eyes also light up at night, which is kind of creepy but fun at the same time.)
You can go inside this statue so make sure to take a look when you’re there!
Where is Expo 70 Commemorative Park Located?
Expo 70 Commemorative Park is located a short walk from Banpaku Kinen Koen Station, which you can reach using the Osaka Monorail. You need to cross a bridge to get to the park from the station.
There is a paid parking lot as well for those coming by car.
I also recommend buying food and drinks from the Family Mart right outside the station, although sometimes there are food carts on the west side of Banpaku Park.
Expo 70 Commemorative Park Tickets
You need to pay to enter the park but at 260 yen for adults and 80 yen for children in elementary school and up, it’s not expensive whatsoever.
You can easily purchase the tickets at the park entrance from one of the many machines available.
Where to Visit in Banpaku Park with Kids
I honestly think almost everywhere in Banpaku Park is amazing to visit with kids.
Banpaku Park has gorgeous seasonal flowers and foliage, so it’s lovely to visit in almost every season (except perhaps winter).
In spring you can have a picnic underneath cherry blossom trees, which is something my daughter and I love to do (head to the East Plaza to do this).
In summer kids can play in streams on the west side of the park.
Any time of the year, kids can see fish in the pond, too.
And in autumn, you can marvel at the warm-colored maple trees on the west side.
My daughter loves the playgrounds in Banpaku Park, especially the ones on the east side such as Yattane no Ki, which features a large acorn, and Boken Umi no Hiroba, which is ocean-themed with a huge ship. (Just make sure to keep your eyes on your kids because it can get pretty crazy with all the children running around.)
There is a small pond where you can ride on pedal boats as well, which my daughter enjoys doing.
On the west side, there’s a park called Adventure Plaza but my daughter doesn’t like it as much as the ones on the east side.
If you want to explore the entire park, it’ll take an entire day, so if your kids are preschoolers, I recommend focusing on the east side of the park. For older kids, check out the west side.
There’s a train that will take you throughout the park but I’ve found that it gets full very fast.
Another great place to visit is the Nature Observation and Study Hall on the lower west side of the park, where kids can see educational dioramas as well as real fishes and amphibians that live in the park.
There’s also a highly rated National Museum of Ethnology on the north side of the park.
NIFREL
I’ve talked about NIFREL before in my article on what to do in Osaka with kids.
NIFREL is a very beautiful place that combines an aquarium with a zoo. It’s fairly new so the tanks are modern-looking and clean.
Each room has a unique theme to it, including different lighting and sounds, so some areas feel like art exhibitions. I also like the area where birds like peacocks and tortoises can roam about freely, so my daughter can get an up-close look.
However, although my daughter and I like the aquariums here, I personally was disappointed in the areas for animals. They seemed stressed, especially the ones that were in small enclosures, such as the Siberian tiger.
It’s also a little expensive at 2200 yen, especially since it’s small and everything can be seen within an hour. Despite my reservations about NIFREL, my daughter always has a great time here. This was the only aquarium she wasn’t scared of when she was two and three years old because most of the rooms are very bright, so I think that’s influenced why I recommend it to parents.
I would say visit NIFREL if you’re comfortable with the fact that there isn’t enough space for the land animals.
If you want to visit a zoo in Kansai that has plenty of room for animals, I suggest Adventure World in Wakayama and Animal Kingdom in Kobe.
Tiny Amusement Park
Right outside NIFREL and Lalaport EXPOCITY Mall, you’ll see a small amusement park. This is the perfect place for small kids to enjoy some rides, especially when the weather is nice.
At 800 yen for one ride, it’s quite expensive, though, so keep this in mind.
There’s a free outdoor play area between the amusement park and NIFREL where kids can play on a splash pad or do a very tiny version of rock climbing. This park is meant for children ages 3 to 6.
Lalaport EXPOCITY
This is an awesome shopping mall mere steps away from NIFREL.
Head straight to the third floor to find children’s clothes and supplies here, including a great kids’ store called Akachan Honpo.
There’s also an arcade with a JUMP area where kids can read manga for free and win JUMP stickers, a Ghibli store, a Sanrio store, KIDDY LAND toy and character store, LOFT, Peach Club store (great for character goods), and I could go on and on…
I don’t think the restaurants in EXPOCITY are that great but I do enjoy the food court, especially a tonkatsu shop called 北新地とんかつépais. This restaurant also has children’s cutlery so you can share a dish with your kids and they have kids meals as well.
There are lots of other places in the food court that sell meals just for kids.
There’s a PEANUTS Cafe as well, which I like going to for yummy frozen drinks.
For kids who want to play indoors, there’s a small indoor playground on the second floor of Murasaki Park that costs around 1500 yen per child.
Osaka Wheel Expocity
Another must-visit spot is Osaka Wheel Expocity, which you likely won’t miss because it’s the largest Ferris wheel in Japan! It not only offers a stunning view of Osaka, but you can also do karaoke in it!
I’ve written an article all about the experience so take a look to find out more!