8 best outdoor adventure parks near Tokyo

With three different courses, this aerial adventure park is both a workout and a day out. The approximately 80-minute canopy course is family friendly, and features basic high-ropes activities like zip-lining, crossing suspension bridges and climbing rope ladders. The more challenging two-hour adventure course takes you much higher up into the trees and even includes a daring Tarzan swing. For the little ones, there’s a 45-minute kids course offering simpler activities and extra safety harnesses.

If you prefer to stay on the ground, you can ride an electric mountain bike on a trail adventure around the forest. First-timers are given an optional one-hour lesson to help them get used to the trail before heading out. With so much open space, it’s hard to believe the park is just 75 minutes from central Tokyo.

Located at the foot of Mt Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture, Subaru Land offers dozens of attractions for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Score a hole-in-one at the miniature golf course that takes you through World Heritage Site replicas, get lost in the gigantic wooden maze filled with riddles and stamp rallies, experience a 7m-high jump on the Sky Trampoline, or slide down the 50m Jumbo Slide with a sled. 

Dog lovers in particular should head straight for the Doggy Park where you can rent one of its resident canines for ¥1,000 per hour.

Named after the Danish fairy-tale author Hans Christian Andersen, this vast green patch of about 40 hectares is one of Japan’s most popular theme parks. There may not be any roller coasters, but the park boasts a wide range of outdoor activities for both kids and adults, spread out over five different areas. Children can explore massive playgrounds, conquer obstacle courses, visit a petting zoo, go on a pony ride, participate in creative workshops or play in the water park in summer.

The two main areas are connected by a bridge crossing a central lake surrounded by lush greenery, and you can take in the tranquil scenery by boarding a rowboat. The large windmill turns into an Instagram cliché in spring, when the whole scene is surrounded by colourful tulips. There are several replica farmhouses, based on the 19th-century buildings of Andersen’s birthplace, Odense in Denmark, which is a sister city of Funabashi.

Meet friendly farm animals like sheep, cows, pigs, goats and donkeys roaming around the fields of Mother Farm in Chiba. You can pet and feed the animals in selected areas of the park and participate in activities like horseback riding.

For first-timers, we recommend taking the Mother Farm Tour DX (adults ¥1,600, children ¥900), where you’ll ride a tractor train through the meadowlands, giving you a fantastic view of Tokyo Bay. The tour is the only way to feed the adorable alpacas and watch the sheep-herding up close.

Don’t worry if it rains – the farm has plenty of indoor activities, too, like milking dairy cows, sheep-sheering demonstrations, and cooking workshops where you can make your own jam. The animals may be the main attraction, but Mother Farm also offers fruit picking (strawberries from January to May), bungee jumping, craft workshops, and a flower field that’s open all year round.

Roughly an hour from central Tokyo (and not far from Mt Takao), this mountainside spot lures city slickers with a range of activities. Challenge your fear of heights at the Muscle Monster, a 16.1m-tall athletic jungle gym that sits on top of the tallest mountain at the park. It’s made up of four levels with all kinds of different obstacles including bouldering, biking and walking on a plank high above the ground. Don’t worry about falling – you’ll have safety harnesses attached to you at all times to prevent any accidents.

There are also creatively designed play areas like Picaso’s Egg and Sasuke Kids Advenutre, which are more child-friendly, plus a maze inside a big wooden fort that’s sure to keep the kids occupied. If you need a rest after all that physical activity, go up the observatory to catch a marvellous view of Mt Fuji on clear days.

Entry is ¥1,900 for adults and ¥1,200 for children, but some attractions cost extra, so it’s worth buying a Free Pass, which includes the entrance fee and unlimited rides on most attractions, for ¥4,500 (children ¥3,700). You can buy a ticket to the park at the gate, but you must make reservations in advance online for the Muscle Monster – it’s Sagamiko Resort’s most popular attraction.

Parcabout is an outdoor playground located about an hour and a half from central Tokyo. Children (and adults) can climb, bounce and run inside a big canopy of nets. The name comes from a forested area in France where the original version of the attraction is based, and the soft nets keep you safe from most injuries while you play up amongst the trees. 

The entire contraption is like a maze, with tunnels and slides, but also includes large open areas where you can play sports like basketball, dodgeball and badminton. To explore the net, you’ll need to book a spot in a 90-minute session (¥2,000; three-to-six-year-old children, ¥750). There are five sessions (six during Golden Week and summer holidays) available per day between 9am and 5pm (until 4pm from November to March).