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Enjoy Lake Hamana Kanzanji Temple! 1 night 2 day model course that the whole family can enjoy

I want to enjoy amusement parks and zoos with my children while traveling. If possible, I would like to go to a hot spring and eat some delicious food. Kanzanji Temple, located on the outskirts of Hamamatsu City, will make that wish come true.

Kanzanji Temple is a scenic hot spring resort located on the shores of Lake Hamana. In addition to a zoo and amusement park in the surrounding area, you can also enjoy sightseeing boats and Japan’s only ropeway that crosses the lake.

This time, we will introduce a one-night, two-day model course with lots of photos that will allow you and your family to fully enjoy Kanzanji Temple.

How to access Kanzanji Temple?

Lake Hamana, located in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture, has many coves. Kanzanji Temple is a hot spring resort facing Uchiura, one of the coves, and the main lake of Lake Hamana.

As for how to get there, if you are by car, it is about 7 km from the Tomei Expressway Hamamatsu Nishi IC. If you use public transportation, it is approximately 40 minutes by bus from JR Hamamatsu Station (no transfers).

Although it is called a hot spring area, it is not far from the city center.

Day 1: AM~) Lake Hamana Amusement Park Palpal

After arriving at Kanzanji Temple, the first thing to do is go to Lake Hamana Amusement Park Pal Pal.

Palpal has attractions that children under 3 years old can enjoy, so it’s perfect for a pre-debut experience at the amusement park. The older you get, the more attractions you can use and the more you can have fun.

The park is divided into three zones: Entrance Zone, Monte Zone, and Lakeside Zone, where you can enjoy about 30 types of attractions.

The Pal Stage, where character shows are held mainly on weekends, and the extremely popular Pal Pool are also open in the summer! Be sure to feel the wind blowing across the shores of Lake Hamana!

From here, we will introduce a little bit of the inside of the park.

1) This is the central part of the center house. The Palpal family is on the welcome board. Let’s take a photo to commemorate entering the kindergarten♪

Take the escalator behind the board to go up to the Lakeside Zone and Monte Zone.

2) The general store/Pal Shop in the park is stocked with original Pal Pal goods as well as souvenirs from Hamamatsu.

In addition to souvenirs, “headbands” and “name holders” are also popular.

3) Coin lockers are also available to store your baggage.

4) The rotating sushi cart “Mawarunja” is Japan’s first sushi-themed attraction. It is secretly popular in the entrance zone.

Next is Monte Zone and Lake Zone.

1) The height of the giant Ferris wheel Koku is approximately 60 meters (approximately 85 meters above sea level). Enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Hamana on a spacious gondola that seats 6 people!

2) “Acorn”, a teacup shaped like an acorn, is suitable for children aged 3 and over. *Requires a companion who is a junior high school student or older (paid)

3) Pal Pal’s merry-go-round is a very rare two-story structure. I’m confused as to which one to ride♪ *Children under 3 years old must be accompanied by a junior high school student or older (paid)

1) The whitewater slide “Don Buraco” is very popular not only on hot days. Finally, make a splash and zaboom!

2) The maximum tilt angle of Wild Storm is 60-70 degrees. You are sure to scream when you ride it!

3) If you want to ride a Viking, go to Captain Paleo’s pirate ship. Experience the feeling of jumping into Lake Hamana every time it sways.

In addition to these, Palpal has many more fun attractions! If you’re tired from playing around on the first day of your trip, let’s soothe yourself at Kanzanji Onsen.

Day 1: PM) Ropeway & Hamanako Music Box Museum

At Kanzanji Temple, in between playing at the lakeside amusement park, you can ride Japan’s only ropeway that crosses over the lake. This is because the boarding point for the Kanzanji Ropeway is also inside Pal Pal Garden.

Of course, you can also get to the ropeway station from Shizuoka Prefectural Route 320.

The landmark of the platform is a light brown clock tower. In Pal Pal Garden, it is located on the right side just after exiting from the center house to Monte Zone.

You can also ride the ropeway while staying at Palpal, and you can buy tickets at the boarding area. If you have a Palpal free pass, you can ride the ropeway as well, which is a good deal.

When returning to the park from the ropeway, please present your admission ticket or free pass ticket at the entrance to the park.

Two gondolas with different colors and designs operate alternately on the ropeway. It has a total length of 723 meters and connects Kanzanji Station with Okusama Station on the opposite bank, which is located at the summit of Mt. Okusa.

The ride time is approximately 4 minutes one way. You can enjoy a 360 degree panoramic view of Lake Hamana.

The building at Okusayama Station is three stories high, and from the Okusayama Observation Deck on the roof, you can see not only Kanzanji Temple at the foot, but also Lake Okuhamana and Act Tower.

The image above is a carillon that plays songs that match the season and time every hour. It’s so popular that some people wait a little before the performance time!

The first floor of the building is a music box shop and experience workshop. Just looking at the shop lined with cute music boxes will warm your heart. At the experience workshop, you can enjoy making your own original music box (for a fee).

There are a wide variety of music box songs to choose from when creating, and some people may be surprised to find a song like this! You can make memories while having fun.

The 2nd and 3rd floors of the building are the Hamanako Music Box Museum (paid area). As you enter, there is a fairground organ with an outstanding presence in the center back. Also on display are a concert carillon and a cylinder music box.

Here you can watch mini-concerts of automatic musical instruments for 15 minutes each at 05 and 35 minutes past the hour.

Day 2: AM~) Hamamatsu City Zoo

After relaxing at Kanzanji Onsen, we went to Hamamatsu City Zoo (HamaZOO) on the second day.

In the park, which takes advantage of the natural topography, you can see not only large animals such as bears, tigers, lions, and elephants, but also birds, capybaras, kangaroos, and more.

Except for rare animals such as pandas, we keep all animals in captivity.

At the goat/sheep zone, located just outside the entrance gate, you can experience feeding the goats for free twice a day.

Hours are from 9:00 and 13:30. Only about 20 people can experience it on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you’re interested, please hurry.

In the flying cage, we keep ibises, ducks, pheasants, pigeons, parakeets, and more. You might even feel someone watching you from above the tree!

In the image above, the monkey on the left is a golden lion tamarin. Hamamatsu City Zoo is the only one in Japan that breeds them!

This is a very valuable animal, so please take a look.

At the very back of the park (mini-safari), you can see zebras, ostriches, giraffes, and more. There is a shop and a rest area in front of you, so you can relax and observe the animals.

When you go to the zoo, you can’t miss seeing the Japanese macaques.

The monkey mountain at Hamamatsu City Zoo is not very high from the ground to the fence so that even children can observe it. It is also a nice consideration that there are places where transparent plastic plates are fitted. Don’t miss out on the monkey’s cute movements.

Day 2: PM) Lake Hamana pleasure boat

You can enjoy sightseeing on the lake at Kanzanji Temple, which has many inlets.

From the zoo to the Lake Hamana sightseeing boat terminal, it is less than 200 meters to the west (toward Kanzanji Onsen). Regular flights that do not require reservations are the perfect way to end your trip to Kanzanji Temple!

There are two excursion boats: the catamaran Hibiscus and the Okuhamanamaru. Both cruise ships are fully equipped with air conditioning and toilets. You can enjoy sightseeing on the lake with peace of mind.

There are two types of routes you may be interested in: “Kanzanji Route 30-minute tour course”, “Kanzanji Route 30-minute tour course”, and “Seto Route 30-minute one-way course (suspended as of July 2022).

The “Kanzanji Route 30-minute Tour Course” departs from Flower Park Port or Kanzanji Port. After passing under the Hamanako Bridge on the Tomei Expressway and admiring the view of Oku-Hamanako, we will return to each port.

The catamaran Hibiscus has a rooftop deck. On sunny days, it is popular for being able to enjoy the view of Lake Hamana while feeling the lake breeze. However, there are no sunshades, so don’t forget to take precautions against the heat.

In addition to the rooftop deck, the catamaran Hibiscus offers great views from inside as well! During times when the temperature is high, some people enjoy relaxing on the lake in an air-conditioned room.

The timetable for the Lake Hamana sightseeing boat is approximately once every hour during the day (there may be more trips during summer vacation, etc.). Take a look back at the memories you had at Kanzanji Temple by looking at Palpal and the ropeway from the sightseeing boat.

*Flights will be canceled if wind speed or wave height exceeds the service cancellation criteria.

Recommended spots on rainy days

If it rains on the day of your trip, you may be hesitant to go to an outdoor facility. In such a case, this spot is recommended, although it is not Kanzanji Temple.

By train: Hamamatsu Science Museum is about a 7-minute walk east from the south exit of JR Hamamatsu Station.

The all-weather facility is divided into zones: nature, force, sound, light, and space, so you can learn about science while having fun. The planetarium is also popular.