7 best water parks in and near Tokyo for the perfect summer cool down

In summer, Yomiuriland amusement park opens its five outdoor pools for some wet and wild fun. You can pretend you’re swimming in a particularly choppy sea in the giant wave pool (complete with a sandy 'beach'), or hurl yourself down one of eight different slides.

The Giant Sky River may feel a bit intimidating as you scale its stairs, but it's undoubtedly the highlight for thrill-seekers: the 25m-high and 386m-long mega-slide is navigable only with the reassuring presence of a large rubber float.

Kids will love the adorable Soreike Anpanman pool, which features the rosy-cheeked heroes of the popular comic series.

Open from June 28 to September 15 (closed July 7-11, September 4 & 8-12)

This popular amusement park on the western fringes of the city boasts not just an indoor pool (March-November) but also a vast summer outdoor area with multiple pools, water slides, fountains and manmade waterfalls.

If you’re feeling bold, the dazzling Dekasla will hurtle you through a tube while you sit in a rubber boat. The next time you see daylight you’ll be spiralling around a giant zebra-coloured funnel, until you emerge safely, if somewhat breathlessly, at the bottom. At night, Adventure Lagoon is nicely lit up, providing some Insta-worthy photo ops.

Note that tickets need to be purchased online in advance. Open from July 5 to September 29 (closed September 24-26) – check website for more details.

Visiting Tobu Zoo? Pack a swimsuit and make a detour to its large summer-only water park. Here you can take an unhurried float along the lazy river, splash around to your heart’s content in the giant wave pool, watch the impressive fountain shows – and, if you’re not of a nervous disposition, ride a ring-float and let gravity do its thing on Tobu’s rapid river-style waterslide.

Kids, meanwhile, can frolic in the pleasant Jabu Jabu Adventure area, complete with mini slides, shallow pools and a huge splash bucket, which releases a torrent of water every five minutes. Tickets must be purchased in advance online.

Open June 28-29, July 5-6 & 12-13, July 19-Aug 31, September 6-7 & 13-15

The popular Seibuen theme park, which lies just north of the Saitama-Tokyo border, is only 50 minutes from Shinjuku by train. Its outdoor pool, open during summer, covers a large area and features no less than four tubular water slides, the obligatory wave pool and plenty of shallow splashing spots for the little ones.

When you're taking a break from the water, you can fuel up on typical Japanese summer food, including yakisoba (fried noodles), somen (cold noodles) or okemori, a generous bowl filled with yakisoba, fried chicken and takoyaki (octopus dumplings).

A day at the pool costs ¥3,200 (primary school students and children aged 3 and older ¥2,200). Between August 9 and 17, tickets cost ¥3,500 (¥2,500). Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online. (Aug 9-17 here)

Open on weekends from Jun 28-July 13, Sep 1-15; Open daily from July 18-August 31

At the summer pool of Kawagoe’s Aquatic Park, you can get ‘slammed’ by 2m-high waves, which is considerably more pleasant than it sounds, and dive from the platform of a giant ship protruding from the middle of the pool. Your friends can view your plunge into the pool from the boat’s large underwater windows, so make sure to pull out some cool moves. Also, don’t miss the colourful curvy slides, perfect for racing against your friends. Note that the diving pool and slides are only accessible to primary school students and older.

Open July 12 to September 7 (closed July 14-18, September 1-5)

Designed to look like a tropical holiday resort, this kid-friendly attraction on the Shonan coastline offers a water park experience with sea views to boot. The facilities here are aimed more at young families, with a tame 140m-long waterslide, a wave pool plus a 500m-long lazy river-style pool at the centre of the park.

Open from July 5 to September 15

Advertised as Chiba prefecture’s largest water park, Hasunuma Water Garden is open every summer with over 19 wet attractions. Among the highlights is the Splash Shaker, a twenty-metre-high slide where riders get hurtled through a yellow and blue tube on a rubber boat and swirl up a giant wall ramp at an angle of 90 degrees before splashing down into the water.

Other highlights include a ‘river rafting’ pool slide with views of Kujukuri Beach, a shallow lazy river that kids can enjoy safely, a massive wave pool with actual sand and much more. With family-friendly facilities, food stalls and shaded rest areas, it's a fun and refreshing destination for all ages.

Admission tickets can be purchased in advance online via Kkday or Asoview. (Attraction tickets not included) Open July 5 to September 23, closed July 7-11, 14-18 & September weekdays.