2026 Kawanoe Fureai Park Fountain: A Full One-Day Course

This is a one-day course to enjoy close to home, starring the Kawanoe Fureai Park Fountain inside the Kawanoe Fureai Exchange Center in Kawanoe-cho, Shikokuchuo City (四国中央市). The 2026 operating period has not been announced yet, and in past years it has opened during the summer holidays, so please check the latest information in Shikokuchuo City's official guidance before you set out. The fountain is built to shoot water up in a variety of patterns, so even the time spent waiting to see where the next jet will appear becomes part of the fun. A foot-washing area is provided too, a welcome touch for families with small children. The park also has a bouncy dome (usable 9:00-17:00), a sandpit, toddler play equipment such as a seesaw, a slide and a tunnel, a lawn area with a 100 m loop, a hard court for bicycle practice, a parent-and-child restroom and a bicycle park, and everything is free to use. In the morning, first head up to Kawanoe Castle (川之江城), also called Butsuden Castle (仏殿城), which rises on high Shiroyama hill. From the keep you get a sweeping view of the Hiuchi-nada Sea (燧灘) and the townscape lined with paper-mill chimneys. Next, visit the Paper Town Museum, unique to the paper town of Shikokuchuo City, and discover the history of washi papermaking and the craft of hand-scooping. In the afternoon, move to Fureai Park, bounce on the dome, then play in the water at the fountain. It is a course that traces both the making of the town and the coolness of summer in a single day.