Awaji World Park ONOKORO
📍 Address: 8-5 Shiotashinjima, Awaji, Hyogo 656-2142, Japan
Located on the east coast of Awaji Island, ‘Awaji World Park ONOKORO’ is the island’s largest theme park, offering a full day of leisurely fun for visitors of all ages. Its main highlight is the elaborate ‘Miniature World’ spread throughout the park. Famous architectural marvels from around the globe, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Great Wall of China, are meticulously recreated at a 1/25 scale. Each miniature is crafted with incredible detail, captivating even adults who find themselves taking numerous photos due to their impressive quality.
The park underwent renovations in 2008 (Heisei 20), adding a variety of active attractions like grass sledding, go-karts, and zip-lining. While there are few thrilling rides, weekdays offer minimal wait times, making it an ideal destination for family trips with small children. As the park is quite large and requires a fair bit of walking, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes. It’s a charming spot where you can enjoy a relaxed time, soaking in the nostalgic ambiance of an old-fashioned amusement park.
Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park
📍 Address: 8-10 Yumebutai, Awaji, Hyogo 656-2306, Japan
Opened in 2002 under the concept of ‘a recreational space by the sea,’ this vast national park boasts an impressive scale of approximately 330 hectares. It’s undoubtedly one of Awaji Island’s top spots for days when you simply want to enjoy the outdoors. Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy well-maintained, beautiful flower fields: tulips and nemophila in spring, sunflowers in summer, and cosmos in autumn.
The park is equipped with facilities for children to play all day long, including ‘Yumekko Land,’ one of Kansai’s largest playground complexes, a splash pool for toddlers, and swan boats for leisurely strolls on the water. Another attractive point is its excellent cost performance: admission is 450 yen for adults, and free for junior high school students and younger. However, due to the park’s immense size, it’s not uncommon to walk 15-20 minutes just to reach your desired area. Also, shade is scarce, so parasols or hats are essential during summer. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take full precautions against UV rays when visiting for a picnic-like experience.
Hyogo Prefectural Park Awaji Hanasajiki
📍 Address: 2805-7 Kusumoto, Awaji, Hyogo 656-2301, Japan
Spread across gently rolling hills at an altitude of approximately 300m, this colossal flower field covers about 15 hectares. The panoramic views of the Akashi Kaikyo Strait, Osaka Bay, and even Kansai International Airport on clear days are, without exaggeration, a highlight of Awaji Island tourism. The scenery changes dramatically with each season: canola flowers and poppies in spring, cleome and sunflowers in summer, cosmos in autumn, and stock flowers in winter.
Despite such magnificent views, admission is surprisingly free (only parking costs 200 yen). In 2024, a free dog run, ‘Yuuai no Oka,’ was established near the entrance, making it a highly popular spot for travelers with their beloved pets. As it’s a hilly area with slopes, walking down to the bottom means a significant uphill climb on the way back, so comfortable shoes like sneakers are highly recommended. On windy days, the sea breeze can make it feel a bit chilly, so it’s a good idea to bring an extra layer during transitional seasons.
Uzu-no-Oka Onaruto Bridge Memorial Hall
📍 Address: 936-3 Fukurahei, Minamiawaji, Hyogo 656-0503, Japan
This historic facility, opened in 1985 the same year as the Onaruto Bridge, has recently become a huge hit after a renovation that fully embraced its ‘overwhelming love for onions.’ A classic activity for visitors here is taking commemorative photos in front of the giant onion monument ‘Ottamage’ (O-Tamanegi) located outside the building, wearing a complimentary ‘onion wig.’
A must-try inside the hall is the immensely popular ‘Onion Catcher.’ This thrilling attraction allows you to exchange one real onion caught in a UFO catcher for a 1.5kg net of Awaji Island onions. Furthermore, the venue offers exquisite island gourmet, including curry with a whole onion and the ‘Awaji Island Burger,’ which won a grand prix at a local burger festival. It’s a power spot where you can fully experience the staff’s passion and entertainment spirit while admiring the magnificent views of the grand Onaruto Bridge.
Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Island Park
📍 Address: 2425-2 Kusumoto, Awaji, Hyogo 656-2301, Japan
Directly connected to the Awaji Island Highway Oasis, this vast prefectural park offers excellent accessibility. The park itself is free to enter, featuring beautiful nature trails, a massive lawn area, and a splash pad, bustling with families enjoying picnics on sunny days. Simply strolling leisurely while breathing in the fresh air of the expansive forest is a wonderfully refreshing experience.
What makes this park truly special is ‘Nijigen no Mori,’ an interactive anime and game theme park (paid per attraction) scattered throughout its grounds. Here, you can experience the worlds of popular works like ‘Godzilla’ (with a life-sized Godzilla zip line where you slide into its mouth), ‘Dragon Quest,’ ‘NARUTO -Naruto-,’ ‘Demon Slayer,’ and ‘Monster Hunter’ amidst rich natural surroundings. Since the grounds are incredibly vast, the best tip to conserve energy is to research and park at the nearest parking lot (e.g., parking lots A-F) based on the attractions you wish to visit.
Essential Tips for Tourists to Efficiently Enjoy Awaji Island
Awaji Island is larger than you might imagine; driving from north to south takes about an hour, even using expressways. Therefore, trying to visit all tourist spots in a single day will largely be spent on transportation. It’s recommended to divide your itinerary into northern areas (Awaji Island Park, Awaji Hanasajiki, Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park, etc.) and southern areas (Uzu-no-Oka, etc.), allowing for a more relaxed schedule.
Furthermore, many of Awaji Island’s tourist attractions are vast facilities that leverage natural terrain, often requiring long walks from the parking lot to the destination. Adopt a basic style of ‘comfortable sneakers’ and ‘a backpack or shoulder bag to keep your hands free,’ and from spring to autumn, don’t forget ‘UV protection like parasols or hats.’ Enjoy the laid-back island atmosphere, feeling the sea breeze and taking in the panoramic views of nature.
