Tokyo Summerland - fun in the sun (and out of it, too!)

When it comes to enjoying summer, a lot of people immediately think of spending time by the water. Heading to the beach, a lake, or a river tends to be many people's go-to for an enjoyable way to while away those long hot days. In saying that - a lot of the time if you live in the city you don't necessarily have the time for a getaway to the coast (trying to get leave from work is not always the easiest!) or there might just not be vacancies for accommodation. So what's a person to do if they want some fun in the sun but can't get to the beach to do it?

Water parks, of course! They're the perfect way to still enjoy the water but they're often scattered around cities and suburbia. If you live in or around Tokyo, there are a number of fun spots to head to - but my favorite of all the water parks in the area is Tokyo Summerland.

Tokyo Summerland has a bit of everything when it comes to fun in the sun. From a faux river that you can float down, to pools and waterslides, it's got all the makings for a great day out. It's also interestingly enough a fun spot out of the peak summer rush too, as there is a giant section that's enclosed. As you can imagine, summertime is pretty pumping there - but you can have days outside the peak periods that you can almost feel as if you have the place to yourself.

Granted, it's not the most inexpensive of family days out - your regular adult admission ticket will set you back 3500 yen, and a child's ticket is 2500 yen (that's for children from 7 to 12 years - if you've got teenagers they're charged the adult price). Even infants and senior citizens are charged 1800 yen (they class infants as 2-6 year olds according to their website). If you want the higher level admission ticket that includes access to their biggest attraction, the DEKASLA waterslide, then you're looking at a little bit more added onto that cost as well. In saying that though, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than paying for gas and accommodation to get you down to the coast for a weekend in Japan - at least that was definitely the case when we lived in the Tokyo area.

Tokyo Summerland is located in the suburb of Akiruno - if you're headed there by train the closest station is Akigawa. From there it's about a 10 minute taxi or bus trip there (or you can always drive if that's easier and more convenient). I will say that like a lot of places in Japan, weekends can be a little hectic, and if you can swing it with your schedule that it's a lot nicer to go during the week - not to mention less stressful. 

There are a number of ways that you can attempt to keep cool in the Japanese summer - and this was one of my family's favorites when we lived nearby! It's worth a visit if you're in the area too. 

When was the last time that you visited a water park? Do you have any nearby to you, wherever you're living in Japan right now?