It’s hot. It’s humid. If only you could just take off your shoes and wade into that inviting fountain in the park! Well, in Tokyo, you can. And so can your kids. Here are five FREE parks where you and your offspring can beat the summer heat.
The first three of these are “splash parks” where there’s enough water to take off your shoes and cool your feet, but it’s shallow enough to be safe for toddlers.
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ASUKAYAMA PARK near Oji Station
Is this the most inviting summer fountain, or what?
But there’s more! It’s also 100% okay to play in this merry waterfall and stream area…
which wraps around the plaza to this gorgeous section of falls, all with easy in & out “beaches” and plenty of places to sit and watch if you don’t want to get your feet wet.
And right up the stairs, on the upper level of Asukayama Park, is a playground that’s got something for everyone. A climbing castle…
an elephant slide…
a little boat and a real locomotive you can climb all over and inside…
a streetcar…
…not to mention plenty of animals to ride on, a sandbox, multiple play houses, and the all-important snack & drink stand
Open: Every day
Hours: The park is open 24 hours a day, but it turns out that the water is only turned on from 10:00 – 16:00. I arrived at 9:45, and was disappointed to find everything dry as a bone, but then I saw the sign (posted in Japanese only) and sure enough, on the dot of 10:00, the fountain spouted to life and the waterfalls began to gush.
Admission: Free
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OTONASHI WATER PARK near Oji Station
Just across the street from Asukayama Park is a secret jewel of a water garden, hidden in what used to be a boring old paved canal. Now it’s delightfully landscaped, with many inviting mossy spots to sit and enjoy the cool, and a shallow stream for kids to play in.
Every gentle curve of the stream brings a soothingly picturesque view
It’s not big, but it’s never crowded because you can’t even see it from the street.
Open: Every day
Hours: Open 24 hours
Admission: Free
Rules: No throwing rocks into the stream, no ball sports, no pets allowed in the water, and no creepy photographing of other peoples’ children playing (wtf? But seriously, it’s right there on the rules sign). There is a spigot where children are encouraged to rinse off after playing in the water.
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OYOKOGAWA WATER PARK near Tokyo Skytree Station and Honji-azumabashi Station
The local government of Koto-ku took a bare, paved canal and transformed into a delightfully long walk featuring shady glades, tumbling streams, and places like this, where kids can play in and by the water. The meandering stream is only a few inches deep, but is entertainingly crossed multiple times by all sorts of stepping stones…
and bridges
You can walk along the stream for over an hour, past rushing “natural” sections like this, to reed-filled bird havens, and wider plazas with vine-shaded arbors and benches where you can eat your lunch
Open: Every day
Hours: Open 24 hours
Admission: Free
Rules: Children are told to wear water-friendly shoes or sandals, because the streambed can be slippery in bare feet
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WATER ATHLETICS PLAYGROUND at Yoko-jikken-kawa Shinsui Park near Sumiyoshi Station
This inventive playground can be used by kids who didn’t come prepared with swimsuits (although I doubt many go home with dry shoes after the inevitable oops!) The water is wading-pool deep – geared toward small children rather than babies and toddlers) and the equipment is a nice change from the typical playground slides and climbing structures.
There’s a basket gondola (which could be ferrying an intrepid child over hungry crocodiles or burning lava)…
a “UFO” bridge that requires a little (easily acquired) skill to cross…
and a ferry platform which doesn’t require the services of a parent.
There’s also a floating bridge, a zip line that skims along close to the ground so kids can bail safely at any time, and a couple other structures that were inspiring a lot of happy shrieking and imaginary dangers when I was last there.
Open: Every day
Hours: 9:00 – 16:30
Admission: Free (I’m pretty sure it’s free, although the first time I found this little playground, a posted sign said there was a ¥100 admission fee. That sign had disappeared when I returned in July 2019 though, so they might have done away with it.)
Rules: Children are supposed to use the basket gondola sitting down. The UFO bridge is for walking across by foot.
(Note: It’s only tagged in Japanese on Google maps, so if you want to search for it on your own GPS, copy and paste this: 水上アスレチック(横十間川親水公園)
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KORAKU PLAYGROUND AT TOKYO DOME CITY
This playground doesn’t have a water feature, but it’s wreathed in cooling mist during the hot summer months. Although it’s in the Tokyo Dome City amusement park complex near Koraku-en Station, you don’t have to pay to use it.
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SHOWA KINEN PARK
Kids never want to leave the playgrounds at Showa Kinen Park, because they are filled with delightful equipment like this bouncy mountain.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 
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