Trip Report: Tokushima Family Land Amusement Park

 Getting to amusement parks without a car isn't easy in Japan, but I gather it's not as difficult as some of the minor parks in America. Tokushima Family Land is one of those parks that's located a good bit away from the nearest train station, but it is served by buses. Unfortunately, the timing of the buses didn't work for me so I resorted to walking about 45 minutes each way from the closest station. It was a relatively pleasant walk, starting through some small farm fields before heading uphill.

 I arrived at the park well before opening, so I had plenty of time to take photos around the park. The gates had been opened despite the place being essentially empty.

 The Ferris wheel will show up in several pictures because it's just so big, especially for a park so small. The ride selection includes mostly carvinal-sized attractions.

 The first of two coasters is a wild mouse-style thing called, aptly enough, Wild Mouse. It's not very wild, but it was fun.

 I think there's a Japanese law which says every amusement park must have a Ferris wheel and a swinging pirate ship.

 Swings!

 I love this kind of ride, whatever it's called. Unfortunately I didn't have time to ride it. As soon as the park opened I got on the two coasters, got my "credits", and started heading back to the train station. I reached the station with only about 5 minutes to spare, moving at a brisk pace.

 That second coaster is called Junior Roller Coaster, and is themed to look like roller skates. I wonder if kids even know what roller skates look like anymore.

 Like other Vekoma coasters of this style, it's very smooth. This one seemed to be a little faster than others I remember, but I didn't have much to compare to after Wild Mouse.

Thrill seekers won't find anything here to suit their fancy, but for families it can provide a couple hours of entertainment. There's also a zoo next door.

The train ride from Tokushima Station to Jizobashi Station takes less than 10 minutes, but the walk uphill is 3.8 km, or about 48 minutes. Admission is free, while rides are 300 yen each. The park hours are advertised as 9:30-16:30 but rides didn't open until 10:00.