Kumamoto with preschoolers (4–6) 3 spots
Kumamoto has a live volcano with farms and grassland across the floor of its crater. Kumamon the black bear belongs to this prefecture and turns up in person at his office in the city. Boats off Amakusa find wild dolphins year-round.
Kumamoto City Zoo and Botanical Gardens
About 110 animal species and 700 plant species share 24.5 hectares beside Lake Ezu.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · checked Aug ’26
An outdoor amusement park with 77 rides, celebrating its sixtieth year in 2026.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
A hillside zoo in Aso where Bear Valley holds about 130 bears of three species.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · checked Aug ’26
At 4 the chain tower opens up, 200 yen. The rule that a parent must ride along on the Ferris wheel and the children's train applies only under 4, so from 4 a child rides on their own, 200 yen each. The fairground has 10 large rides and 40 small ones, from 10 to 200 yen. The zoo side holds some 110 species and 550 animals, among them the golden snub-nosed monkey, whose golden coat the park itself calls exceptional. On the botanical side, the Flower Rest House has a large greenhouse and an orchid room filled with tropical and subtropical plants.Admission is free for preschool children and 100 yen for elementary and junior-high students, 80 in a group; students living in Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu or Kagoshima city go free if they bring proof of address. Rides cost 10 to 200 yen - the chain tower is 200 yen from age 4, the Ferris wheel and children's train 200 yen each, the mirror house 100. Bicycle rental is free for visitors, capped at one hour per session at weekends and on holidays. At 24.5 hectares the grounds are large; one visitor account records about two hours on the zoo section alone. Parking is free on weekdays and 200 yen per car at weekends and on holidays for light, ordinary and medium vehicles, with space for 1,229 cars. The merry-go-round and Dolphin Paradise are out of service after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, and the savanna area is only partly open. The park is open 9:00-17:00 with last admission at 16:30.
There are 77 rides in all, and the combined admission-and-free-pass set is 4,000 yen for a preschool child aged 3 or over. In summer the Water Park pool opens 25 July to 31 August 2026, plus 5 and 6 September. 2026 is the park's sixtieth year.The coin-operated rides, the Water Park pool and paid events are not covered by the free pass. There is no ATM or cash dispenser inside the park, so bring cash with you. Outdoor carry wagons cannot be used in the pool area. Hours change from day to day: in August 2026 opening is 9:30 or 10:00 and closing falls between 17:00 and 20:00, so check the hours for your date first.
In Bear Valley you can hold out a snack, and a bear answers with a beckoning pose. About 130 bears of three kinds, Japanese black bears and Ezo brown bears among them, live there, and watching them costs nothing. The animal shows at Miyazawa Theater and Cuddly Hall are free to watch as well.The bear snacks are limited in number and can sell out. Watching Bear Valley is free, but the snacks and special events cost extra. Admission is 800 yen for a child 3 or over, 1,400 yen for elementary and junior high pupils, and for adults from high school age 2,600 yen on weekdays, 2,900 yen on weekends, holidays and special dates. The helicopter sightseeing flights are suspended.