Moomin Valley Park

 If you're a fan of the cute,cuddly Finnish character, you might be thinking about planning a visit to Moomin Valley Park, located in Hanno-Shi, Saitama, Japan. This park opened in 2019, and I had wanted to visit since the opening, however the perfect oppourtunity never arose until a friend came to stay who also wanted to visit, so off we went. The first thing to note is that this is not the most easily accessible place. It took us just over 2 hours to get there but of course this depends on your starting location. We were traveling from East Saitama but if you go from Ikebukuro in Tokyo it should take just shy of 1 hour 30 minutes to arrive. From Ikebukuro you can take the Seibu Line train to Hanno station and take the Eagle Bus to Metsa Village. The bus we took dropped us off at the nearby Miyazawa Onsen (hot springs) and the we walked though a wooded path to reach the park. If you are going by car, there is a large car park available for a fee. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a special umbrella art installation, which makes for nice Instagram photos. These continued overheard throughout the park. Different seasons have different temporary installations, so this will vary depending on time of visit. You'll then walk through the Mesta Scandinavian themed area, where you can find shops, restaurants and cafes with a relaxed, European style. You can buy some imported goods, along with typical Japanese items. There is also (of course) a Starbucks, and you can shop for craft items. These are housed in neat wooden buildings representing the Scandavian style. You may wish to take a look around Metsa before or after exploring the Moomin Valley Park. After a brief look we headed for Moomin! After a scenic forest walk, you'll eventually arrive at the Park entrance, where you are welcomed by adorable Moomin figure book gates. This is really where the story begins! 

There are two ticket options, the first is just the entrance to the park and costs 2,500 Yen, the second choice is a all-inclusive attractions pass which costs 4,200 Yen. I would take a look at the attractions before you purchase the ticket, to see if its really worth paying the extra. On our day of visit, some of the attractions were already full for the day meaning that even if you bought the all-inclusive ticket, you couldn't actually use that attraction. We opted just for the park entrance ticket and set off inside.

You'll first arrive at a big gift shop, there are a few shops within the park but this is one of the biggest. There is also a restaurant specializing in pancakes. A nice touch is that throughout the park you can collect small postcards which eventually, put together, create a map of the park. Don't miss one! You'll find the first two at the entrance and outside the pancake place. They look something like this.

As you walk on through the 'Welcome Cove' area, the first major building you'll find is the Bathing Hut. This hut looks out over the scenic lake and rest of the park. It is a really nice starting point to your journey through the Moomin stories! From here you get a good view of the Zip Line and also the Canoeing activities, so you can take a look for yourself and decide if you want to participate in those. After admiring the view, you walk on to the main area of the park called the Moominvalley Area.

 If you're lucky, you'll be in time for a show at Emma's theatre. There are about 3 performances a day. The show lasts around 30 minutes and is a short story featuring the favourite characters. Around the theatre there is a food cart,  a shop and little animation exhibit. You can explore all these little buildings. We chose this point in the Park to have lunch. The biggest restaurant in the Moominvalley is in the Kokemus building. It is set out like a canteen, where you take a tray and move along the line choosing what you want before paying at the end. The restaurant is on the first floor and serves a fun themed menu including dishes such as Green hat Pasta, Beef rice shaped like a mountain and Mysterious white asparagus curry.  They also have typical items such as fries and fried chicken. I opted for the curry and it was tasty although of course overpriced!

 It cost 1300 Yen for a small portion of rice with curry and a few vegetables. Although it wasn't too bad for park prices! The appearance was nice and my fellow guests both ordered the beef rice which they said also tasted good. Next door to the restaurant is also a large gift shop with a large array of items. Most popular seemed to be a small Moomin plush toy that sat on your shoulder. Many people were walking around the park sporting their own personal Moomin.

Just next to the Kokemus museum is the highlight of the park, the Moomin House. The bright blue house stands tall in the middle of the Park and is the most popular attraction with guests. This is the Moomin family house and you can enter and look inside. The basement is free for all visitors, however the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor require an extra fee or the all-inclusive ticket at the entrance. You can enjoy the interior and the decoration of the characters. There are lots of little details, so you can spend time spotting all the tiny hints of the Moomin family life.

 The two attractions next to the house are also an extra fee so we didn't experience these. They are both indoor theatres. Close to this area are some cute little shops designed like huts. They are brightly coloured and back on to the lake. One of these huts is a post office which has a beautiful choice of postcard designs that you can purchase, then write and send off to anywhere in the world, with a unique Moomin Valley stamp. I felt like this was a lovely feature of the park.

After passing those huts, you'll arrive at the final area of the park; The Lonely mountain area. Depending on the route you take, you could end up at a gleaming white lighthouse or a huge childrens play area. This area is also the starting point of the Zipline, if you so wish to scoot across the lake to the other side! This playground is great for kids, so sit back and take a rest while they enjoy climbing and exploring. The lighthouse is also a nice scenic photo shot, looking out onto the lake. 

After walking through the whole park and raking up 14km walked, we decided to call it a day. The park only has one exit, so we walked back the same route, talking in the surroundings (and shops!) , one last time before heading out to the bus. 

This park is a great place to visit for families, I can imagine kids would have a blast here! In my opinion the ticket price was a little expensive but as the park has only been open for a year, I feel like there may be room for expansion and development in the future. So if you're are a fan or Moomin or are just looking for a day trip from Tokyo or Saitama, this is a great day out.