[Ryozan Town, Fukushima Prefecture] Full of nature! Ryozen Children's Village where you can play and learn

Ryozen Children's Village is located at the foot of Mount Ryozen, a Fukushima Prefectural Natural Park, and is a spot where you can play physically in an environment that makes the most of nature, and experience art indoors

The site also has an auto camping site, accommodation facilities with hot spring facilities, and you can enjoy barbecues! This time, we will be bringing you a report on our time at Ryozen Children's Village

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The symbol of Ryozen Children's Village! The jumbo slide

Ryozen Children's Village, located at the foot of Mount Ryozen, utilizes the slope of the mountain to provide a wide range of athletic facilities and rides within its vast grounds. In addition to play equipment such as sky cycles and battery cars, there is also a hiking trail that takes you around the park, allowing you to enjoy the changing nature of the seasons within the park

Among them, the symbolic jumbo slide is extremely popular!
The jumbo slide has been around since I was a child and is approximately 25m wide and 15m long. The surface is rough, so the Children's Village way of sliding down it is to put cardboard under your bottom! Everyone can slide down at the same time. The view from the starting point is amazing. It takes courage at first, but it's safe as you won't slide down at a very fast speed. The children climbed up and slid down again and again.
(Cardboard is sold for 50 yen each.)

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A retro and thrilling ride experience

After playing on the jumbo slide, we headed to the top of the mountain to conquer the rides in the Children's Village! Next to the jumbo slide is a course called "Little Reizan" that mimics the rocky terrain of Mount Reizan. You can have a little mountain climbing experience here

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Sky Cycle

While enjoying the athletics, the first thing you'll see is the popular "Sky Cycle." This is a two-seater vehicle that lets you cycle through the air while pedaling

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Noppo Cycle

As we continued up the mountain, we came into view of the Noppo Cycle

The Noppo Cycle is a type of bicycle with rails underneath. It's an interesting and unusual looking vehicle. This one also moves forward by pedaling

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Cycle train

Further up the hill from Noppo Cycle is the Cycle Train, a mini coaster that moves through the greenery as several people pedal together

Even though it's a mini coaster, the centrifugal force on the downhill curves makes it a thrilling ride even for adults! On the uphill slope, you'll need to pedal together

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Battery car (mini car)

After conquering all the rides and going down the hill, you'll see the battery car. It requires a 100 yen coin to operate. Battery cars are safe for even small children to ride, making their dream of "riding in a car by themselves" come true

There are also battery cars near the free rest area, so children who can't walk to the top of the mountain can play there too

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Art and science indoors

The indoor facility, "Play and Learn Museum," opened in 1994 as Japan's first fully-fledged, interactive children's museum

The entrance is on the second floor. On the second floor, there are workshops where you can make handmade musical instruments or observe insects. Some workshops require advance reservations, so it is recommended to check the website beforehand. There are also special exhibition spaces, a picture book library, face painting, manual spinning painting and other experiences

At the bottom of the stairs is the museum on the first floor, where you can see various natural phenomena that occur on Earth, including the creation of tornadoes and waves.You'll never get bored even if you look at the large music box with its mechanisms and the illuminated globe

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Baby-friendly rest area

The free rest area near the entrance to the facility is open to the public, so feel free to bring your lunch and take a break. There is also a nursing room. The rest area has a mini bouldering space and you can play with the miniature cars nearby, so even those with babies or small children can have fun

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If you get tired from playing, refresh yourself in the baths at Kosaikan

After playing hard, you can wash off the sweat in the bath at the accommodation facility "Kousaikan" located on the same premises. Apparently, the bath is made from dried "Reizan carrots" that have been growing wild on the rocky areas of Reizan since ancient times. You can get a panoramic view of Reizan from the bath, which uses spring water from Reizan

INFORMATION

• Name: Ryozen Promotion Public Corporation, General Incorporated Association Ryozen Kosaikan
• Address: 9-1, Ishida, Takajizawa, Ryozen-cho, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 024-589-2233
• Hours of operation: [Weekdays] 10:00-20:00 [Saturdays, Sundays, days before holidays, and holidays] 10:00-21:00 [Winter] December to March 10:00-18:00
• Bathing fee: Adults 440 yen, elementary school students 220 yen

GOOGLE MAP

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On the way home, we went to the popular ice cream shop "Makiba no Jersey"

If you come to Reizan, you can't miss Makiba Jersey.
This popular store sees long lines of customers buying soft serve ice cream and other treats on weekends. They raise rare Jersey cows, produce ice cream and soft serve ice cream, and sell it all, so you can enjoy fresh and delicious ice cream.

In addition to their main store near Ryozen Children's Village, they also have a store at the Date no Sato Ryozen Roadside Station. Both are located close to the interchange on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, so be sure to stop by!

INFORMATION

• Name: Makiba Jersey (Main store)
• Address: 1-1 Ishida Kawamo, Ryozen-cho, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 024-589-2375
• Business hours: Weekdays 8:30-17:00, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 8:30-17:30

GOOGLE MAP

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Ryozen Children's Village Summary

With the opening of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, it has become easier to access from the Fukushima and Soma areas.
In addition to the facilities introduced here, Ryozen Children's Village also has a house where you can play with modified bicycles and enjoy barbecues. There are also cottages and an auto camping site, so it's a great place to stay and enjoy the nature of Ryozen!

INFORMATION

• Name: Ryozen Children's Village
• Address: 9-1, Ishida, Takajizawa, Ryozen-cho, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 024-589-2211
• Opening period: Mid-March to mid-December (closed in winter)
• Closed: Every Wednesday (except on public holidays, Golden Week, and summer vacation)
• Business hours: 9:00 - 16:30 (last entrance 16:00)
• Admission fee: Children (ages 3 to junior high school students) 200 yen, Adults (high school students and above) 500 yen
• Ride fare: 100 yen per ride, 500 yen for a set of 6 tickets
• Access: Approximately 30 minutes from the Tohoku Expressway Kuwaori JCT to the Tohoku Chuo Expressway / Approximately 5 minutes from the Tohoku Chuo Expressway Reizan Iitate IC

GOOGLE MAP

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