Harima Central Park is a large public park set among the rolling hills and wooded landscapes at the foot of Mount Gohōzan in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture. Known locally as “Harichu,” the park offers a refreshing escape into nature, with forests, ponds, hills, flower gardens, open lawns, and recreational facilities for visitors of all ages.
The park opened on August 5, 1978, and covers approximately 181.7 hectares, making it one of the largest urban parks in Hyogo Prefecture. Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy seasonal flowers, peaceful nature walks, family-friendly play areas, and a variety of sports and leisure activities.
The park’s rose garden covers approximately 1.5 hectares and features a fountain at its center. It contains 2,500 rose bushes representing 95 varieties, offering a colorful display of flowers and a pleasant setting for a leisurely stroll.
Late May is a particularly attractive time to visit, when the park’s Rose Festival celebrates the beauty of the blooming roses. The garden is also a lovely place to relax and enjoy the changing atmosphere of the seasons.
Beyond the rose garden lies the Four Seasons Garden, an expansive area covering approximately 17 hectares. Its different sections showcase a variety of plants and landscapes throughout the year, allowing visitors to enjoy the changing colors of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
One of its most distinctive features is Fantasy Road, a tree-lined avenue of bald cypress trees. The avenue is especially beautiful when fresh green leaves emerge in spring and when the foliage turns warm shades of color in autumn. It was also used as a filming location for the movie Fullmetal Alchemist, making it an appealing stop for fans of the film as well as nature lovers.
Sakura Garden is home to approximately 1,000 Yoshino cherry trees. During the spring cherry blossom season, the trees create a beautiful display of pale pink and white flowers, making the area a popular place for seasonal walks and outdoor relaxation.
The Children’s Forest area is designed for active play and exploration. Its attractions include a large hillside playground called Wind Fortress, Dragon Road, a wooden fort, a wavy log obstacle, a Tarzan rope, balancing logs, and an extra-long swing.
These play structures encourage children to climb, balance, swing, and explore while enjoying the natural surroundings. The area is especially suitable for families looking for an outdoor destination where children can stay active and have fun.
The park has three spacious lawn areas with a combined area of approximately 3.5 hectares. These open spaces are ideal for spreading out a picnic blanket, enjoying a packed lunch, relaxing in the sunshine, or letting children run and play freely.
The lawns are among the park’s most popular places to unwind, offering plenty of room for families and groups of friends to enjoy a relaxed day outdoors.
Children’s Stream is an artificial stream approximately 160 meters long, with a shallow water depth of around 5 to 15 centimeters. Water generally flows from late March through late November, making it a popular place for children to splash and play during warmer weather.
Because the water is shallow, the stream is particularly appealing to families with young children. Adult supervision is still important whenever children play in or around the water.
The park once featured a large outdoor venue known as Takino Lawn Stage, which was promoted as one of the largest outdoor stages in the East. It hosted concerts by well-known rock bands and other major events, with a capacity of approximately 15,000 people.
As the facility aged and its use declined, it was taken out of service. Demolition work was underway as of May 2022, so visitors should not expect to use the former concert stage as an active event venue.
Fujii Denko Cycle Land is a recreational area where visitors can enjoy cycling and other wheeled activities. It offers a fun alternative to walking through the park and is especially popular with families.
The cycling course features a varied route with gentle rises and dips. More than 200 bicycles are available for rental, with sizes ranging from 14 to 27 inches. Helmets are provided for riders.
Bicycles with training wheels and bicycles intended for beginners’ practice cannot be used on the main course. Visitors who are still learning to ride should use the dedicated practice area at Chibikko Hiroba instead.
For something a little different, the park offers more than 140 unusual bicycles designed for one to six riders. These playful designs make cycling a group activity and provide entertainment for children and adults alike.
Inline skates are available in sizes ranging from 18 to 30 centimeters. Visitors must wear socks, and rental equipment includes skates, helmets, and protective gear for the elbows, knees, and insteps. Visitors may also bring their own skates.
Young children can enjoy small battery-powered vehicles operated with coins. Prices vary by vehicle, generally ranging from ¥100 to ¥200 per ride.
The Waterside Zone brings together four of the park’s ten irrigation ponds. These ponds contribute to the park’s peaceful scenery and provide opportunities to appreciate the relationship between water, woodland, and local landscapes.
The Nature Exploration Zone offers a quieter experience, with walking routes through the park’s vegetation and scenic surroundings. Visitors can discover a variety of plants and landscapes while enjoying a more relaxed pace. The zone also includes a commemorative plaza marking the marriage of the Crown Prince, as described in the park’s Japanese name for the site.
The Sports Zone provides facilities for visitors who want to enjoy more active recreation. Facilities include a rubber-ball baseball field, a multipurpose sports field suitable for activities such as soccer and softball, and an archery range.
These facilities complement the park’s gardens and family attractions, making Harima Central Park a destination for both peaceful sightseeing and outdoor exercise.
The Hill of Stone Monuments is a distinctive cultural feature of the park. It contains stone monuments created and installed at their own expense by 33 recipients of the Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Award, which recognizes contributions to the prefecture’s cultural life.
Each monument reflects the individual creator’s imagination and artistic ideas, resulting in a varied collection of forms and designs. The hill offers a different kind of experience from the park’s flower gardens and recreational facilities, bringing art and cultural heritage into the natural landscape.
Spring is a popular season for cherry blossoms in Sakura Garden, while late May brings the Rose Festival and colorful displays in the rose garden. In summer, Children’s Stream and the outdoor recreational facilities provide opportunities for families to enjoy the warmer weather.
Autumn is another particularly attractive time to visit. In November, the bald cypress trees along Fantasy Road develop beautiful autumn colors, creating a memorable landscape for walking and photography.
By car, the park is approximately 10 minutes from the Takino-Yashiro Interchange on the Chugoku Expressway. From the interchange, follow Prefectural Routes 17 and 349 toward Takino for approximately 3 kilometers.
By train, the park is about a 20-minute walk from Takino Station on the JR Kakogawa Line. Visitors traveling from central Kobe can take an express Shinki Bus bound for Nishiwaki from the Sannomiya area. The journey takes approximately 90 minutes to the Takinocho Nokyo-mae bus stop, followed by a walk of about 20 minutes.
The surrounding area offers additional opportunities to explore local history and culture. Nearby destinations include the Kato City Regional Exchange Center and the Kakogawa River Basin Takino Museum of History and Folklore. Visitors looking to relax after exploring the park can also consider Takino Onsen Pokapo, a local hot spring facility.
Harima Central Park combines expansive green spaces, beautiful flower gardens, family-friendly play areas, cycling activities, sports facilities, and cultural attractions in one large natural setting. Whether you come to admire cherry blossoms and roses, explore the woodland paths, enjoy a picnic, or spend an active day with children, the park offers a wide range of ways to enjoy the outdoors.
With its changing seasonal scenery and variety of recreational experiences, Harima Central Park is an inviting destination for families, friends, and travelers seeking a relaxing break in the countryside of Hyogo Prefecture.
Free admission
Fujii Denko Saikurando 9:00-17:00
Exercise facility 9:00-17:00
Garden of the Four Seasons 9:00-17:00
No holidays
Fuji Denko Saikurando: closed on Tuesdays
Exercise facility closed on Tuesdays
Shiki no Niwa (Garden of the Four Seasons) closed on Tuesdays
Admission free (fee-based facilities available)
20 min. walk from Takino Station
3 km drive from Takinosha IC of Chugoku Expressway toward Takino on Prefectural Routes 17 and 349