Granpal Park Illumination in Izu

I recently visited the Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka Prefecture, on a weekend trip. During the trip I went to the Izu Granpal Park to enjoy the amusement park's winter illuminations. The illuminations have received several awards and are definitely worth a visit.

The entry for a night ticket to Izu Granpal Park is 1,500 yen per person which is around that which most illumination venues in Japan charge.  You can use the digital and paper versions of the Go-To Travel campaign coupons for the entry fee as well as the restaurants and store in the park.

You can enter Izu Granpal Park after 16:30 with the night ticket.

The park is very spacious and you can expect to spend a few hours walking through it if you want to see everything and take photos. I went there by car but you can also go by train and bus. There is a bus from Ito station that takes about 35 minutes and a bus from Izu Kogen station that takes about 20 minutes.

All over the park you can find chairs and benches so it's not hard to find a spot to rest should you get a little tired. At the time of my visit there was also a hammock area where you can lay down and rest in a hammock for a while. 

I went on a Friday and there were not many visitors, so it was easy to keep a distance from the other visitors.  At the parks entrance staff also perform the usual temperature check and disinfection.  As long as the park does not get very crowded, I think the infection risk can be considered quite low.

The illumination at Izu Granpal Park has several different areas. There is one where you can enjoy illuminated animals, one that feels as if you walk through a sweets wonderland, an area with underwater creatures, a large video wall and several illumination tunnels. As there are some areas that are higher, you can also get very nice photos over the entire park. 

Several times per hour there is also a laser show that you can enjoy for free. You can see it from almost everywhere in the park but watching it from the higher viewing points is probably best.

Besides the illumination at the park there also is a building with a small petting zoo where you can pet guinea pigs and rabbits -- a nice addition especially for kids and you can use it to warm up a bit once you start feeling cold. However, you might want to be careful as the petting zoo might pose a higher infection risk if it gets crowded.

There also are some attractions for kids that you can be enjoyed for free like a giant slider and a trampoline. Adults can use them as well, but after having tried the slider I would not really recommend it for adults. 

If you are planning to eat at Izu Granpal Park there is a Korean restaurant and a pirate-themed restaurant that you can try. I personally have not tried them but the menu of the pirate restaurant looked interesting. 

The Izu Granpal Park illumination is open until the end of August 2021, so you still have plenty of time left to visit.  If you are in the area, I can definitely recommend a visit.