My First Time at Hirakata Park!
I went to Hirakata Park today.
I had heard the name before, but it was my first time visiting.
What's more, I didn't look anything up myself; my friends did all the research and planned everything out for me.
So, I went in with almost zero prior knowledge.
They picked me up by car, and we arrived at the parking lot.
But honestly, I thought, 'Huh? This is a bit different from what I imagined.'
I go to USJ and Disney, but I don't really go to other amusement parks.
So, I couldn't help but compare them.
And, inevitably, it felt a bit inferior. lol
When we parked the car and walked toward the entrance, I saw a big Ferris wheel.
My friends were happy to see it.
Their innocence softened my mood a little.
Apparently, there's something called a free pass, so we went to the information desk in the center.
On the way, I noticed areas that looked like they could be used for snowball fights and spaces that looked like ice skating rinks.
'Wait, you can do things like this here?'
But it wasn't that cold that day.
I watched, thinking, 'Wouldn't the snow just melt if you had a snowball fight?'
My friend said,
'You'd get soaked today. Your clothes would get wet, so a snowball fight is impossible.'
I honestly thought, 'That's true.'
We bought our free passes and headed to the rides.
I still couldn't help but compare it to USJ and Disney.
It's a little old. lol
But it has a certain charm.
Since there were children with us that day,
there were many rides they couldn't go on due to height restrictions, so sometimes we couldn't ride things.
There were times when I waited with those kids.
When I suddenly looked around, I saw so many families.
It was more about parents and children than young couples.
The children were having the time of their lives.
Watching that scene made me feel happy too.
In the midst of that, there was a girl sitting alone the whole time.
She looked to be about 25 to 30 years old.
I don't know what she was doing.
I was curious, but I couldn't ask, so we headed to the next ride.
We also went on mine cart rides and spinning attractions.
Honestly, it was surprisingly fun.
It was just a bit rough around the edges. lol
There were times when it would jerk and my back would hurt, but that's part of its 'character'.
And then, there was a haunted house.
'I heard the haunted house at Hirapar is crazy,' my friend said.
So we decided to go.
Inside, there were monsters? Ghosts? with a touch of Yo-kai Watch style.
There were even long-necked monsters.
It was the type where you ride a vehicle through it.
The result.
...It wasn't scary at all. lol
For lunch, we couldn't decide between McDonald's or ramen, so we went to Kamukura.
It was delicious.
But it didn't really feel like amusement park food. lol
We kept riding various things in the afternoon.
There was a car ride for kids that was operated by the staff.
They said, 'I want to ride!' so we let the kids ride by themselves.
At that moment, my friend muttered,
'This is the one I used to ride with my sister when I was a kid.'
At that moment, my heart felt warm.
The ride I used to go on when I was a child,
is now being ridden by the next generation of children.
I honestly thought, 'That's a nice story.'
In the evening.
When I happened to look, that girl was still sitting in the same spot.
'Wait, she's still there?'
I was curious, but in the end, we decided to head home. No punchline. lol
On the way home in the car.
When I looked back, the kids were fast asleep.
Watching their sleeping faces, which were proof that they had played as hard as they could,
my heart felt at ease.
It's not USJ, and it's not Disney.
It's not flashy.
It's not the latest thing.
But it was a warm amusement park,
packed with family time.
It was a good holiday.
It was a day where I truly got to experience Hirakata Park.