2026 Higashi-Omiya Shinsui Park: A Full-Day Course

A relaxed one-day course close to home, starring Higashi-Omiya Shinsui Park (東大宮親水公園) in Minuma Ward, Saitama City. Water play is usually available from around early May to the end of September (in 2026, from around Friday 1 May to around Wednesday 30 September), from 8:00 to 16:00 (it may be unavailable due to cleaning and the like). Use is free, and the 8,000-square-metre grounds are equipped with toilets and a pergola (a sun-shading trellis). A major feature is that it opens as early as 8:00 in the morning, and being able to play before the heat builds is a real blessing for families with small children. Since the long season stretches from May to the end of September, you can also plan around the peak of midsummer. In the morning, visit the Citizens' Forest Minuma Green Center. It has a Squirrel House where squirrels roam free, and simply walking through the woods on the grounds is a pleasure in itself. Have lunch around Higashi-Omiya Station (東大宮駅), then cool off and take a break at the Saitama City Omiya Higashi Library in the afternoon. Finish at Higashi-Omiya Shinsui Park, playing in the water at an easy pace until evening.