Hirakata Park

Hirakata Park (ひらかたパーク, Hirakata Pāku) is an amusement park managed by Keihan Leisure Service. Hirakata Park started in 1910 and is the oldest amusement park in Japan. This amusement park attracts a lot of people every year. To get to Hirakata Park, you can use the Keihan Electric Railway system and get off at Hirakata-kōen Station (枚方公園駅).

History

Hirakata Park is the oldest amusemant park in Japan.^[1] In 1912, Kikuningyōten is held near Hirakata Station. It is the origine of Hirakata Park. And then until 1922, Kikuningyōten was held in Uzi, but since 1923 it was held in Hirakata Park. In 1965, “Family pool” was built. Many families visited Hirakta Park to swim in summer. In 1972, “Ice skate link” was built. Not only in summer but also winter, many people began to visit. In 1998, “ Red falcon“ was built. This was very popular for many children. In 1991, a big Ferris wheel was built. Many couples as well as many families visited to have a date. Until the 1990s, Hirakata Park is popular. But, since 2000 Hirata Park went into the red. This because the number of children was decreasing and in Japan most of the amusement park became unpopular. In addition, Universal Studio, which was a famous amusement park in the U.S.A., was built in Osaka in 2001. A lot of people went to Universal Studio Japan to enjoy the latest attraction. This made many amusement park in Kinki region close down. But, Hirakata Park is not closed down in spite that it was in the red. In 2009, Kosugi Ryūich,who is very popular entertainer in Japan, became “Hirapā nīsan”.^[2] This made Hirakata Park very popular..More and more people visited Hirakata Park and it went into the black.^[3] And recently, Okada Zyunichi, who is a very famous actor in Japan and was born in Hirakata, became “Hirapā nīsan”. A lot of media report about this around Japan. This made Hirakata more popular. More and more people will visit Hirakata Park.

Current Detectives

Hirakata Park has its own image character. The name of the image character is Hirapā Nīsan. The first Hirapā Nīsan was Ryūichi Kosugi, who is Japanese entertainer. He was the Hirapā Nīsan until April 2009 to March 2013. He tried the Guinness record with people who came to the Hirakata park and did an election campaign of the Hirapā Nīsan with Takashi Yoshida, who teams up with Ryūichi Kosugi, because he wanted to make the Hirakata Park more famous and increase the number of the people who came there. He tried very hard, but he retired in March 2013, and new Hirapā Nīsan was born in April 2013. The second Hirapā Nīsan is Junichi Okada, who is a Japanese TV paformer. He belongs to the Johnny & Associates, and he is so cool, so he is especially popular among women. He was born in Hirakata, so he can speak the dialect of the Hirakata city.(“Hirapā nīsan” (2014, March 22)). Because he spoke it at his music concerts, his fans became more interested in Hirakata Park. He is very popular in Japan, so the Hirakata Park became more popular because of him, and more and more people in Kantō and Kyūshū began to come there.^[4] On April 1 in 2014, he changed to the Hirapā Enchō from the Hirapā Nīsan. Then a condition was given to him.The condition was that if the number of the people who come to the Hirakata Park doesn’t account to one million by March 1 in 2015, he will be fired.^[5] So because some of his fans probably go there to help him, the number of people who come there is expected to increase.

Facilities

Attractions

There are 45 attractions in the park.^[6] You can use Free Pass for 40 attractions. If you enjoy Dobutsu Haguhagu Town (どうぶつハグハグたうん), Kids Square, Hushigi Kouzan (ふしぎ鉱山), Arcade Game Festa or Game House Joy Box, you can’t use Free Pass. “Blindfold ride” began from April 5, 2014.^[7] When you ride on Giant Drop Meteor, Mokusei Coaster Elf (木製コースター　エルフ)　or Uncle Frodo no Korottorokko (アンクル･フロドのころっとろっこ), you are given a black sleeping mask. You enjoy these attractions with a sleeping mask wearing. If you buy for 700 yen a sleeping mask that is printed Junichi Okada’s eyes on, you can put on this sleeping mask.

・Mokusei Coaster Elf (木製コースター　エルフ)

・Troll panic Pachanga

・Yūreiza (幽霊座)

・Octopus Panic

・Legend of Luxor

・Kite Flier

・Wave Swinger

・Giant Drop Meteor

・Guruguruō (ぐるぐる王)

・Red Falcon

・Waterfall of Screaming Bash

・Hairpin Coaster Crazy Mouse

・Karakuri Yashiki Makafusigidō (からくりやしき摩訶不思議堂)

・3-D Laser Battle Makai no Mori Densetu (3Dレーザーバトル　魔界の森伝説)

・Merry-go-round

・Fantasy Cruise

・Gnome Train

・Rowdy

・Strawberry café (Teacup)

・Honey Hacchi (ハニーハッチ) 　 ・Burning Fight

・Kachinkochin (カチンコチン)

・Itazura Mazyo no Labyrinth (いたずら魔女のラビリンス)

・Putter Golf

・Sky Walker

・Cycle Monorail

・Card Meiro Gurui Mori Daibōken 2 (カード迷路　ぐるり森の大冒険2)

・Anpanman Happy Sky

・Circuit 2000

・Dolphin Paradise

・Fan Fan Journey

・Adventure Safari

・Fantasy Castle

・World Derby

・Panic Racer

・Pipin to Poppy no Kurukuru Helicopter (ピピンとポピーのくるくるヘリコプター)

・Uncle Frodo no Korottorokko (アンクル･フロドのころっとろっこ)

・Wizard’s Magical Jumping

・Dowsing Mountain

・Dōbutsu Haguhagu Town (どうぶつハグハグたうん)

・Kids Square

・Hushigi Kouzan (ふしぎ鉱山)

・Arcade Game Festa

・Game House Joy Box

Restaurants

・Grand Rose

・McDonald’s

・Pomu no Ki (ポムの樹)

・Frutta

・Pipin’s House

・Gnome’s Dinig (food coat opened on March 1, 2014)

・Dippin’dots Ice Cream

・Falcon Cafe

・Magical Lagoon Kitchen

Shopping

・Gnome Shop

・Wizard Village

・Frodo no Mori (フロドの森)

Other facilities

・Piccolo Garden (zoo)

・The Boon (pool)

・Rose Garden

Access

・By train

Take the Keihan Line and get off at Hirakata Kōen station (枚方公園駅).

・By bus

Take the Keihan Bus and get off at Hirakata Kōen. Hirakata-kōen Station on the Keihan Main Line

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hirakata Park.

• Official website (Japanese)

Coordinates: 34°48′20.8″N 135°38′17.27″E / 34.805778°N 135.6381306°E / 34.805778; 135.6381306