If you’re looking for a getaway near Osaka and aren’t sure where to go, I highly recommend visiting Awaji island in Hyogo Prefecture. Located about an hour’s drive from downtown Osaka, the island offers a wealth of choices, including natural landscapes, family entertainment, and “Instagrammable” gourmet spots. It is a fantastic choice for a day trip from Osaka. This article will mainly introduce Nijigen no Mori (Anime Park) located on Awaji island, along with other nearby attractions you can visit along the way.
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Awaji Island Attractions | Nijigen no Mori Overview
Situated in Osaka Bay, Awaji island serves as a bridge between Japan’s Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. One of its most striking attractions is “Nijigen no Mori.” This is an anime and game-themed park featuring various exhibition areas that provide visitors with unique, immersive experiences.
Opened in 2017, Nijigen no Mori is quite spacious, covering about 8 hectares. The park is divided into several zones, each themed after different anime or games, such as Crayon Shin-chan, Naruto, Dragon Quest, and Godzilla. Admission to the park itself is free! If you just want to stroll through the park and take photos with the various anime installations, it won’t cost you a cent.
Awaji Island Attractions | Getting to Nijigen no Mori
To get to Nijigen no Mori from Osaka, you can either drive yourself or use public transportation.
Public Transportation
From Osaka, you can first head to JR Sannomiya Station. From there, you can take a highway bus directly to Awaji island, with a stop right at Nijigen no Mori. For detailed schedules, please refer to the official website.
KKday sells one-way or round-trip highway bus tickets for Awaji Island, which you can purchase in advance if needed.
Image Source: KKday Official Website
Driving
Driving is arguably the most convenient way to explore Awaji island, taking about 1 to 1.5 hours from downtown Osaka. Nijigen no Mori has multiple parking lots. If you navigate directly to the Crayon Shin-chan zone via Google Maps, you might be directed to Parking Lot C, which is designated for visitors with disabilities. It is recommended to check the park map before setting off and choose a parking lot closer to the specific themed zone you plan to visit.
Awaji Island Attractions | Nijigen no Mori Tickets
As mentioned earlier, if you just want to take photos or let your kids run around the public park areas of Nijigen no Mori, no ticket is required. however, if you wish to enter the specific themed attractions, you must purchase individual tickets for each zone. Since tickets are sold separately for each area, you can just buy passes for the ones you are interested in!
I recommend buying your tickets online in advance so you can simply scan a QR code to enter on the day. Some facilities have time-slot restrictions for on-site ticket purchases, so there’s a risk they might sell out. Additionally, Klook offers combo packages, which are great if you already know you want to visit more than one zone.
📌 Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park: KKday｜Klook
📌 NARUTO & BORUTO Shinobi-Zato: KKday｜Klook
📌 Dragon Quest Island: KKday｜Klook
📌 SPY×FAMILY in Nijigen no Mori: KKday｜Klook
📌 Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji: KKday｜Klook
📌 Monster Hunter the Field: KKday｜Klook
Awaji Island Attractions | Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park
If you just want to take photos with all the adorable Shin-chan characters, let me emphasize again: no ticket is required (unlike me, who found out the hard way! 🤣).
The actual activities in the Crayon Shin-chan zone are quite adventurous, featuring obstacle courses, ziplines, and more. If you love physical challenges and excitement, I highly recommend it; you’ll have a blast! The zipline offers beautiful views of Awaji island, which is a huge plus. however, if you are a bit more cautious like me, make sure to read the attraction details before buying a ticket.
A quick note: although the “Adventure Course” is a staple of Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park, once you reach certain levels of difficulty, there is a “no-turning-back” policy. This means if you get halfway through and feel too scared to continue, there’s no easy way to back out. So, think carefully before you start!
📌 Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park: KKday｜Klook
Awaji Island Attractions | Dragon Quest Island
We purchased our tickets in advance via KKday. While you can’t select a specific time slot during the online purchase, the entrance displays current entry times. When we showed our tickets to the staff, they allowed us to join the current queue immediately.
The Dragon Quest Island game is centered around a real-life RPG mystery-solving quest. There are several ticket tiers available; the premium tier includes extra side quests. however, unless you are a die-hard fan, I think the basic ticket is sufficient. The main quest takes about 2 to 3 hours to complete, and all that running around can be quite tiring—it’s definitely a test of stamina!
The mystery-solving process is available in multiple languages, including English, so international visitors can participate without worry. Even if you aren’t a huge Dragon Quest fan, the experience is still very enjoyable. The interactive elements and set designs are highly immersive, making it a great recommendation for anyone who loves puzzle-solving!
On a side note, the food at the restaurant in this zone was surprisingly delicious, breaking my stereotype that theme park food is usually just a gimmick. If you’re hungry after your quest, it’s worth a visit.
📌 Dragon Quest Island: KKday｜Klook
Other Awaji Island Attractions
Awaji Island Attractions | Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Image Source: Wikipedia
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is a world-class architectural marvel connecting Honshu to awaji island. With a total length of 3,911 meters, it is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Visitors can admire the full scale of the bridge from Maiko Park beneath it or learn about its construction history at the Bridge Exhibition Center on the Awaji side. At night, the bridge is illuminated with brilliant lights, offering a completely different but equally stunning view.
Awaji Island Attractions | Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park
Image Source: Tabirai Japan
Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park is a massive nature park covering approximately 97 hectares, located on the Awaji side of the bridge. The park features different flowers blooming throughout the year—tulips in spring, sunflowers in summer, cosmos in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter—making it a favorite for photography enthusiasts.
Awaji Island Attractions | Awaji Yumebutai
Image Source: Awajishima West Coast
Located in the northeastern part of Awaji island, Awaji Yumebutai was designed by the renowned architect Tadao Ando. Its unique structure has become a landmark of the island. The botanical garden within the complex, Kiseki no Hoshi Botanical Museum, houses one of the world’s largest greenhouses, cultivating rare plants from tropical and subtropical regions. Additionally, Yumebutai includes an outdoor theater, a conference center, and Western-style gardens, hosting various cultural events and performances year-round.
Awaji Island Attractions | Naruto Whirlpools
The Naruto Whirlpools are a natural phenomenon occurring in the Naruto Strait between Awaji island and Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. As the tides change, whirlpools of various sizes form in the strait, some reaching up to 20 meters in diameter. The best way to view them is by taking a sightseeing cruise for a close-up look, or by looking down from the “Uzu-no-Michi” walkway on the Onaruto Bridge.
📌 Naruto Whirlpool Sightseeing: KKday｜Klook
Awaji Island Attractions | A Happy Pancake (Shiawase no Pancake)
A Happy Pancake (Shiawase no Pancake) is a highly popular dessert shop on Awaji island, famous for its fluffy and delicious soufflé pancakes. Although it has branches across Japan, the Awaji Island location is especially famous for its various art installations paired with an unbeatable ocean view, leading to consistently long queues. During this visit, the line was too long for us to dine, but you can still take photos with the “Instagrammable” installations nearby without having to make a purchase!
Osaka Related Tickets:
📌 Universal Studios Japan Tickets | Osaka (Official Partner): KKday｜Klook
📌 OSAKA AMAZING PASS 1-Day/2-Day | E-ticket: KKday｜Klook
📌 HARUKAS 300 Observatory Tickets | Abeno Harukas: KKday｜Klook
📌 Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Ticket: Klook
📌 Kansai Airport KIX | Haruka Airport Express Ticket: KKday｜Klook
📌 Kansai Airport | Nankai Electric Railway Rapi:t Ticket: Klook
📌 Japan Travel SIM | Daily Unlimited/500MB/1GB eSIM: KKday｜Holafly
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