Funabashi Andersen Park
A 38-hectare park with a windmill, built with help from Odense, Andersen's home city in Denmark.
piggybackjapan.com
Funabashi Andersen Park
SaveA 38-hectare park with a windmill, built with help from Odense, Andersen's home city in Denmark.
On a wet day the eight studios of the children's art museum take over, with programs that change each month.
MoreWhat kind of place
Funabashi Andersen Park is a city park in Chiba, built with the full cooperation of its sister city Odense in Denmark, where Hans Christian Andersen was born.
It started as the Wanpaku Kingdom zone alone, about 11 hectares or 27 acres, reached roughly 30 hectares when a fifth zone, Hana no Shiro, opened in July 2011, and covers about 38.3 hectares, or 95 acres, today.
A windmill stands on Merhen Hill with a spiral flower bed in front of it, and 100,000 plants of 150 different kinds are on view whatever the season.
Sources and evidence (27)
- Tell a staff member at the entrance gate and you can get a re-entry ticket, but if you take the car out and bring it back you pay the parking fee again.source
- The parking lot opens 30 minutes before the park does; weekdays are generally clear, weekends and holidays can get busy, and long holiday weekends are very crowded.source
- There is no ATM anywhere in the park, so the 500 yen parking fee and the 100 yen rides have to come from cash you brought with you.source
- There are 18 restrooms, 15 of them usable from a wheelchair and 4 equipped for ostomy users.source
- Nursing rooms are in four places, the service center, the fairy tale hall, the children's art museum, and the Hana no Shiro rest house, and each one is set up differently.source
- Diaper changing tables are in the nursing rooms at the service center and the Hana no Shiro rest house, as well as in some of the restrooms.source
- Hot water for making formula is kept in the nursing rooms at the service center and the Hana no Shiro rest house, and at the children's art museum you ask a staff member for it.source
- There is no microwave in the park, but if you want to warm baby food, the service center in the Wanpaku Kingdom zone will lend you one.source
- There is an AED and a first-aid room, and if someone falls ill you tell the nearest staff member.source
- If a child does go missing, go to the service center in the Wanpaku Kingdom zone or the community center in the Merhen Hill zone, and staff will search the grounds.source
- There is no Wi-Fi anywhere in the park.source
- Pay phones stand at the north gate and the south gate; the one at the south gate calls without showing a number, so it cannot get through to phones that reject anonymous calls.source
- Coin lockers cost 100 yen a use at the north gate, south gate, service center and children's art museum, measuring 31 cm high by 35 wide by 42 deep inside, about 12 by 14 by 17 inches; the north and south gates also have large ones at 200 yen, 80 by 40 by 47 cm, about 31 by 16 by 19 inches.source
- No counter in the park will hold luggage for you.source
- Eating indoors is limited to the lounge in the Hana no Shiro rest house, and in the children's art museum the first-floor lounge and the rest corner one floor below ground.source
- Two low-allergen items are on offer: the children's vegetable curry at Poketto inside the food shop, and the small rice-flour rolls at the boat house.source
- Smoking is allowed only at set spots, which are marked on the park map.source
- Wanpaku Ball Island is divided in two, a yellow island for ages 3 to 5 and a blue island for ages 6 to 12.source
- A boat holds up to three people counting babies and toddlers, and children of elementary school age and under cannot go out without an adult.source
- The Fuwafuwa play structure for ages 3 through fourth grade is out of service at the moment.source
- For ages 1 to 3, the Kids Garden in the Hana no Shiro zone has equipment made for children up to 3, and the Hana no Shiro rest house has an indoor playroom with a slide and the like.source
- Water play at Niji no Ike, the rainbow pond, is open during Golden Week and from July through the end of September.source
- On a rainy day, the eight studios of the children's art museum are where you make things, and the programs change every month.source
- It opened as the roughly 11-hectare (27-acre) Wanpaku Kingdom alone, became a roughly 30-hectare park when the fifth zone, Hana no Shiro, was added in July 2011, and has expanded since to about 38.3 hectares (95 acres).source
- The park was built with the full cooperation of Odense in Denmark, birthplace of the storyteller Hans Christian Andersen and Funabashi's sister city.source
- A windmill stands in the Merhen Hill zone, with flowers displayed in the spiral bed in front of it, and 100,000 plants of 150 different kinds are on view in the park in any season.source
- The park is run by the Funabashi City Park Association as designated manager, so questions go to 047-457-6627 rather than to the city government.source
With kidsThe part that matters
The park covers 38 hectares, about 95 acres, and staff make no lost-child announcements, so nobody can be paged: fix a meeting place and a time before anyone spreads out and you keep a way to find each other.
Strollers rent at 100 yen from the north, south and west gates, but they are the lightweight kind for a child who can sit up, 3 and under and 15 kg (33 lb) or less, so with a baby you bring your own.
Pony rides are 100 yen for children through elementary school age, as long as they can sit on the pony on their own.
You can bring your own lunch, and bring cash as well, because parking and the 100 yen rides take nothing else and there is no ATM in the park, so the rides stop when your coins run out.
If it rains, you make things in the eight studios of the children's art museum instead, and the park's own rainy-day route fills about four and a half hours.
Sources and evidence (5)
- Straight to Wanpaku Kingdom at opening for the roller slide, then lunch at 11. They bring supermarket rice balls.source
- North lot at 9:45. On busy days the Wanpaku lawn fills with pop-up tents; the roller slide needs a mat to sit on.source
- Where to escape when rain shuts the athletics: a student makes ice-cream-topped mochi, then spatter-paints next door.source
- Waved into the west lot: a 10-15 minute walk to Wanpaku Kingdom. North or the overflow east lot is the right one.source
- On 5 May the Rainbow Pond opened just for the holiday; the normal run is July to September, and no children in diapers.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Admission starts at age 4, so this age gets in free. From age 1 there is play equipment for children up to 3 in the Kids Garden of the Hana no Shiro zone, and the Hana no Shiro Rest House has an indoor playroom with a slide. Across the park 150 kinds of flowers and 100,000 plants are in the ground all year round, and a spiral flower bed sits in front of the windmill in the Meruhen no Oka zone.There are four nursing rooms - the Service Center, the Fairy Tale Hall, the Children's Museum and the Hana no Shiro Rest House - and each is fitted out differently. Hot water for formula is in the Service Center and Hana no Shiro Rest House nursing rooms; at the Children's Museum you ask a staff member. Changing tables are in those two nursing rooms and in some of the toilets. There is no microwave in the park, but the Service Center in the Wanpaku Kingdom zone will lend you one to warm baby food. Rental strollers are B-type, for children 3 and under who can sit up and weigh under 15 kg, so a baby whose neck is not yet steady cannot ride: bring your own, noting that the rules say some strollers cannot be brought in.
- Ages 2-3On Wanpaku Ball Island, the yellow island is for ages 3 to 5. The Kids Garden in the Hana no Shiro zone has equipment for children up to 3, and on a wet day the indoor playroom at the Hana no Shiro Rest House has a slide. Water play in Niji no Ike runs during Golden Week and from July to the end of September. The mini railway and the mini cars are 100 yen a ride and a boat is 300 yen, for up to three people including infants.Admission is charged from age 4, so this age is still free. Each ride is priced separately, and cashless payment works only for admission and some shops in the park: rides from 100 yen and the 500-yen parking fee are cash, and there is no ATM inside. Rides take their last bookings from 10:00 until 30 minutes before closing, and may cut off earlier when busy. Fuwafuwa, for ages 3 to fourth grade, is currently suspended. Wheeled toys - bicycles, tricycles, kick scooters - cannot be brought in. Strollers rent for 100 yen at the north, south and west entrance gates, and cannot be reserved.
- Ages 4-6Wanpaku Ball Island splits into a yellow island for ages 3 to 5 and a blue island for 6 to 12, so at 6 they move up to the blue one. Pony rides are 100 yen and are for children up to elementary-school age who can sit on their own. Novelty bicycles are 200-300 yen and mini putting golf is 300 yen. On a wet day the Children's Museum's eight studios run hands-on programs, and the programs change every month.Admission is 100 yen for children aged 4 and up and 200 yen for elementary and junior high students, so 4 is where it starts costing; advance tickets from convenience stores or your phone are 10% off, 90 yen for a preschooler. The Children's Museum programs split into drop-in and first-come reservation, and capacity and length differ by studio - Palm Sea World is drop-in, 19 desks, from 40 minutes; Thumbelina is by reservation, 15 people, an hour and a half. The park makes no lost-child announcements, so agree on a meeting place and time first; if a child goes missing, go to the Service Center or the Community Center and staff will search the grounds. There are two low-allergen items: the children's vegetable curry at Pocket in the food shop, and the rice-flour rolls at the Boat House.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayOn a rainy day you can work through programs in the eight ateliers of the Children's Art Museum, and one of the park's five recommended courses is a rainy-day route of about 4 hours 30 minutes. Getting around means outdoor park paths with stairs and slopes, and the only elevator is inside the Children's Art Museum.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed3–5.5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：yes
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (9)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Indoor / outdoor, Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Steps & slope caution, Child switch (rider swap)
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Straight to Wanpaku Kingdom at opening for the roller slide, then lunch at 11. They bring supermarket rice balls.
How to enjoy Andersen Park: a repeat visitor's real family review
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
North lot at 9:45. On busy days the Wanpaku lawn fills with pop-up tents; the roller slide needs a mat to sit on.
Andersen Park solo with the kids (1): the crowd forecast and what you must bring
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Where to escape when rain shuts the athletics: a student makes ice-cream-topped mochi, then spatter-paints next door.
Child reporter: the Children's Art Museum at Andersen Park, fun even in the rain
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Waved into the west lot: a 10-15 minute walk to Wanpaku Kingdom. North or the overflow east lot is the right one.
A day out in Chiba: Funabashi Andersen Park, and what outdoor play is for
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
On 5 May the Rainbow Pond opened just for the holiday; the normal run is July to September, and no children in diapers.
Chiba: what makes Funabashi Andersen Park a whole-day place
Funabashi Andersen Park · Links & reads ▾
＋ Add a link
Save
Where it is
Before you go
- Strollers rent for 100 yen each at the north, south and west entrance gates, and cannot be reserved ahead.source
- Anything on wheels a child rides or stands on, including bicycles, tricycles, unicycles, kick scooters and wheeled shoes, cannot be brought in.source
- Boxed lunches can be brought in, and so can tents smaller than 2.2 m wide, 2.2 m deep and 1.5 m high, roughly 7 by 7 feet and 5 feet tall, but not ones held up by metal poles or anchored with ropes, tarps included.source
- There is no barbecue area, but you can barbecue at the outdoor tables with built-in griddles at Restaurant Marchen, where bringing your own ingredients is not allowed.source
- The rides take sign-ups from 10:00 until 30 minutes before closing, with ponies on their own schedule, and sign-ups can close earlier when it is crowded.source
More notes (10)
- Ordinary visitors need no reservation and just buy a same-day ticket at the entrance gate; groups of 25 or more and large-vehicle parking are handled separately.source
- Parking is 500 yen for a car, or 300 yen in the winter period from December 1 to March 15; large vehicles pay 2,000 yen with a reservation (1,000 yen in winter), and motorcycles park free.source
- Cashless payment works only for admission and at some shops inside the park; it cannot be used for events, parking, or the rides that start at 100 yen a go.source
- Groups of 25 or more, counting everyone age 4 and up, get 10 percent off admission.source
- Wheelchairs are lent out free at each entrance gate, in limited numbers and with no reservations taken.source
- The park makes no lost-child announcements, so nobody can be paged and you need to settle on a meeting place and time in advance.source
- Soft balls such as soccer balls, tennis balls and rubber balls can be used, but hard and soft baseballs and golf balls cannot be brought in.source
- Children's art museum programs are either drop-in or first-come reservation, with capacity and length differing by studio; Palm Sea World, for instance, is drop-in with 19 work spaces and takes 40 minutes or more, while Thumbelina is reserved for 15 people and takes an hour and a half.source
- Dogs cannot be brought into the park, though there is a dog run outside the gates.source
- Guide dogs, service dogs, hearing dogs and other assistance dogs may come in with you, while pet dogs may not.source
Basics
- Fee：Admission is 900 yen for adults, 600 for high-school students showing a student card, 200 for elementary and junior-high, and 100 for children from age four; under four is free. Advance tickets from convenience stores or your phone are ten percent less (810/540/180/90). Children through junior high get in free on 3 March, 2 April, 5 May and 15 June, and everyone gets in free on the fourth Sunday of October. From 65, entry is free on showing anything with your date of birth on it, whether or not you live in Funabashi. Almost everything else is charged on top: parking 500 yen (300 in winter, 1 December to 15 March), a pony ride 100, a novelty bicycle 200-300, mini putting golf 300, mini cars 100, the mini railway 100, a boat 300 for half an hour, a coin locker 100, and a rented stroller 100. Cards and codes work for admission and some shops only - events, parking and the rides are cash, and there is no ATM in the park.source23
- Hours：9:30 to 16:00 on an ordinary day. It stays open to 17:00 only on weekends and public holidays from 8 April to 31 October, and every day from 20 March to 7 April, on 15 June, and from 20 July to 31 August. There is no last-admission time; you leave when it closes. Closed Mondays, except that it opens on public holidays and through the spring, summer and winter school holidays. The parking lot opens thirty minutes before the gates. Rides stop taking people thirty minutes before closing, earlier when it is busy.source2
- Time to allow：3–5.5 hsource
- Booking：No booking to get in - buy at the gate, or buy an advance ticket at a convenience store or on your phone for ten percent off (the park's own windows do not sell those). Groups of twenty-five or more get the same ten percent, and a large vehicle in the parking lot must be booked. Inside the children's art museum, some of the eight studios take walk-ins and others are first-come booking on the day, with different capacities and different lengths, so pick the studio before you queue.source23
Basics in detail (14)
Hours and closures
- The park runs 9:30 to 16:00 on ordinary days, and stays open until 17:00 only on weekends and holidays from April 8 to October 31, plus every day from March 20 to April 7, on June 15, and from July 20 to August 31.source
- There is no cutoff for entry, so you can go in right before the 16:00 closing, though everyone has to leave when the park closes.source
- It closes on Mondays, but opens on national holidays and through the spring, summer and winter school breaks, so some Mondays are open after all.source
- Last orders come 30 minutes before closing at Restaurant Marchen, Cafe Hildemore and the boat house, an hour before for barbecue, while most counters in the food shop stop at 15:00.source
Fees
- Admission is 900 yen for adults, 600 yen for high school students who show a student ID, 200 yen for elementary and junior high students, and 100 yen for children age 4 and up, so children under 4 are not charged.source
- Advance tickets bought at convenience stores or on a phone are 10 percent off at 810 yen for adults, 540 yen for high school students, 180 yen for elementary and junior high students and 90 yen for preschoolers, and they cannot be bought at the park's own window.source
- Four days a year are free for junior high age and under, on March 3, April 2, May 5 and June 15, and the fourth Sunday in October is free for everyone.source
- Visitors 65 and over get in free by showing something with their date of birth, such as a driver's license or health insurance card, and this applies to people from outside Funabashi as well.source
- Showing a disability certificate, a rehabilitation certificate, a mental health welfare certificate, or a Mirairo ID makes admission and parking free for the holder and one caregiver, while a beneficiary certificate does not qualify.source
- Each ride is paid for separately: a pony is 100 yen, the odd-shaped bicycles 200 to 300 yen, mini putting golf 300 yen, mini cars 100 yen, the mini railway 100 yen, and boats 300 yen.source
- Pony rides are for children through elementary school age who can ride on their own, at 100 yen a ride.source
- Annual passes are made at the fairy tale hall inside the park, with that day's admission deducted from the price; everyone being covered has to come along for a photo, and the desk stops taking applications 30 minutes before closing.source
Time to allow
- The park publishes five suggested routes, timed at about 4 hours 30 minutes for the rainy-day route, 3 hours for the one for small children, 5 hours 30 minutes for the full-energy route, 4 hours for flowers and scenery, and 3 hours 30 minutes for the Denmark route.source
Getting there
- The address is 525 Kanahori-cho, Funabashi, Chiba 274-0054, and the phone number is 047-457-6627.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (9)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Stroller rental, Diaper changing table
- Official: Stroller friendly, Diaper changing table, Nursing space
- Official: Stroller friendly, Lost-child support, Stroller access notes
- Official: main site
Paths run over steps and slopes in places, and the only elevator is inside the children's art museum. Strollers are rented at the north, south and west gates for 100 yen, with no booking. The rental ones are B-type, for children up to three who can sit up, so a smaller baby needs your own. The Service Center in Wanpaku Kingdom lends a microwave for warming baby food. Nobody is paged over a loudspeaker, so fix a meeting point on arrival.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Rent at any of the three gates (north, south, west) for 100 yen a go, no booking. The rental strollers are B-type: up to age three, able to sit up, 15 kg or less - so a baby who cannot hold their head up cannot use one. You may bring your own, but the park notes that some strollers cannot be brought in. Wheelchairs are lent free at the same gates. Bicycles, tricycles, scooters and other wheeled toys are not allowed. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Yes | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jp | |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Changing tables are in the nursing rooms at the Service Center and the Hana-no-shiro Rest House, and in some of the toilets. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (4) | Four rooms - the Service Center, the Fairy Tale Hall, the children's art museum and the Hana-no-shiro Rest House - and they are not all fitted out the same way. Hot water for formula is at the Service Center and the Rest House; at the art museum, ask a member of staff. If you need to warm baby food, the Service Center in the Wanpaku Kingdom zone lends a microwave (there is none for general use in the park). | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes (15) | Eighteen toilet blocks in all, fifteen of them wheelchair-accessible and four fitted for ostomates. A map of where they are is on the barrier-free page. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Yes | There is an elevator, but only inside the children's art museum. Elsewhere the park has steps and sloping paths. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Yes | Bento are welcome. Indoor places to eat are the rest room in the Hana-no-shiro Rest House and, in the children's art museum, the first-floor lounge and the basement rest corner. Tents are allowed but must be under 2.2 m wide, 2.2 m deep and 1.5 m high, and metal-poled or rope-staked tents and tarps are not. Alcohol may be brought in. Pets cannot come in, though guide, service and hearing dogs can. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Yes | The park does not page for lost children over a loudspeaker, so agree a meeting place and time before you split up. If a child goes missing, go to the Service Center in the Wanpaku Kingdom zone or the Community Center in the Merhen Hill zone, or tell any member of staff, and staff will search the grounds. There is no Wi-Fi in the park; public phones are at the north and south gates. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Parking is 500 yen (300 from 1 December to 15 March) and opens thirty minutes before the gates; weekdays are usually fine, weekends can fill, and the long holidays are heavy enough that the park asks people to come by public transport. Motorbikes park free at the bicycle racks by the north, south and west gates. There are three gates and strollers and wheelchairs are rented at all of them. Inside, most paths have no steps but some have stairs or slopes, and the only elevator is in the children's art museum. Coin lockers are 100 yen at the north gate, south gate, Service Center and art museum, with larger ones at 200 yen at the north and south gates; there is no left-luggage desk. Ask at a gate for a re-entry ticket if you go out, but the parking lot charges again if you drive out and back. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | park-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jppark-funabashi.or.jp |
| Steps & slope caution | Not checked yet | ||||
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet |
Reviews
Reviews