I grew up in Eastern Hokkaido, but I never appreciated this region as much as I do now that I have an energetic toddler🫶🏼
The playgrounds here are incredibly spacious. (Unlike the crowded parks in big cities❌)
What I love most is that so many of these places use wooden toys made with local timber 🪵🧡 I hope your kids love them as much as mine does!
🏠Looking for a family-friendly accommodation?
Comment HOME & I’ll send you the link to our Airbnb. You can easily drive to all these playgrounds within 1 hour.
⬇️ Save this list for your family Japan trip!
📍Ki no Plaza, Kitami (10 mins drive from our Airbnb)
My favorite indoor playground. It’s huge and has so many wooden toys so your kids can spend hours easily. You can also buy local woodcrafts here.
🎟️¥100
📍Tent Land, Abashiri (1 hour)
My favorite outdoor playground. It’s like an amusement park! The play structures are labeled as suitable for 3-12 years old, but my 2.5-year-old could enjoy most of them. The facility also has an indoor play area which is also impressively large and fun. It has a dedicated section for babies too.
🎟️Free
📍Northern Daichi Aquarium, Onneyu (30 mins)
A small local aquarium in Roadside Station Onneyu. Since it’s not a large place, it’s easy for toddlers to walk around. After that, go to the indoor wooden toy play area in the next building or try the white bean soft serve ice cream, a signature dessert at this roadside station.
🎟️¥830 for adult, ¥400 for child
📍Woodcraft Museum Kinos, Tsubetsu (30 mins)
An indoor playground with dynamic wooden play structures like bouldering walls. Tsubetsu is a town famous for woodworking, so it also has a shop for high-quality woodcrafts, great for gifts and souvenirs.
🎟️Free
📍Chacha World, Ikutahara (50 mins)
A toy museum that showcases 1,500+ wooden toys from Hokkaido as well as around the world. Of course it has a play area full of wooden toys, rides, slide and ball pool. Stop by a local gelato shop nearby called Nordic Farm on the way. My favorite shop since I was a kid.
🎟️¥700 for adult, ¥350 for child