Fly into Godzilla’s Mouth? Live a Dragon Quest Adventure? Solve Ninja Missions? Nijigen no Mori is the Park for You!
Have you ever dreamed of doing at least one of these things? Then Nijigen no Mori is the perfect park for you.
Located on Awaji Island, less than an hour from Kobe, this large park is gaining fame as a paradise for fans of Japanese pop culture. This free-entry green area features various themed zones where visitors can completely immerse themselves in their favorite fantasy worlds.
Dragon Quest Island, Naruto & Boruto Shinobi-zato, Godzilla Interception Operation, Crayon Shin-chan Adventure Park, Monster Hunter: The Field, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba are the areas currently available. For each one, there are different types of tickets, ranging from standard access to options with added benefits, goodies, or extra missions.
Prices vary depending on the day and season, so if you have the flexibility, I recommend visiting on a weekday, when tickets are generally cheaper than on weekends or public holidays.
I had the chance to try out three attractions, all with the basic entry tickets. However, if you’re a superfan, you might want to consider choosing just one zone but buying a higher-tier ticket, so you can fully immerse yourself in the adventure—especially if you plan on wearing a cosplay!
Here’s my experience and what I thought of each one.
Dragon Quest Island
If your dream is to step into a video game in real life, forget those silly city karts and come here!
I’m not into video games at all (I’ve never even played one!), but I had so much fun taking on this adventure in the world of Dragon Quest!
You enter a village, and using a token provided at the entrance, you interact with screens and objects scattered throughout—just like in the beloved RPG game. You have to search everywhere, leaving no corner unexplored (even the hidden ones), to digitally collect the items needed to progress and train to fight weaker monsters before gaining enough HP and power to face the final boss.
I admit, it was more challenging than I expected! Everything is really well done, and you end up walking quite a bit, searching for the right chest or the person who’ll give you the next clue. But I had an amazing time, even with the light ticket, and I’d love to go back in the future and try the gold package with extra missions! Apparently, even the light mission changes from time to time, so I’m sure I’ll return!
It took us over an hour and a half, and we never had to queue for the screens or main monsters. However, we were told that sometimes there’s a wait to face the final boss, as only a few people can enter the combat room at a time.
If you defeat the final boss, you can also buy a souvenir photo with a sword and shield, along with a picture of the digital team you chose. Afterwards, recharge with themed food at Luida’s Bar, which you can also visit without playing the game.
Light Package: from ¥3,400
Gold Package: from ¥5,400
Premium Package (with goodies): from ¥12,400
Naruto & Boruto Shinobi-zato
This is the most famous attraction in the park, especially among international visitors. Naturally, it’s based on the ninja world of Naruto, and yes—you can eat at the legendary Ichiraku Ramen, beloved by the main character!
The Naruto & Boruto Shinobi-zato Village is very photogenic, with the Hokage Rock hiding a wooden maze, and statues of the main villains spread throughout the area. The ramen shop and souvenir store are located inside the village and, unlike other themed restaurants, you can’t access them without a ticket.
The light ticket includes two missions: you’ll receive two scrolls, Heaven and Earth, on which you need to collect stamps. To complete the Heaven scroll, you go through the maze hidden in Hokage Rock—it takes about an hour. The Earth scroll involves collecting stamps across the village, and in some cases, you must perform ninja hand signs to open boxes containing the stamps.
Honestly, I didn’t find it very exciting, and I would recommend the Gold Ticket instead, which includes an extra mission involving puzzles and mysteries (also available in English).
There are other ticket packages that include not only the basic and extra missions, but also goodies like the scroll backpack or Gaara’s pouch.
If you visit the Naruto & Boruto Shinobi-zato in the late afternoon, you can also enjoy a light show at Hokage Rock.
Light Package: from ¥3,300
Gold Package: from ¥4,800
Other packages: from ¥11,300
Godzilla Interception Operation
While Naruto is the most popular attraction among foreign visitors, Godzilla Interception Operation is what made me discover this park—and the reason I decided to come!
Not because I’m a huge fan of Japan’s most famous kaiju (I’ve never even watched a Godzilla movie!), but because the zipline into his mouth is just epic!
Ever since I was a kid, zip lines were my favorite playground equipment, and I couldn’t wait for summer trips to the mountains because they had the best, longest ones. And now that kid-sized ziplines have evolved into full-blown adult ziplines, my love for them hasn’t changed.
At Godzilla Interception Operation, Godzilla has been immobilized by NIGOD, a research center created specifically to stop the monster, believed to appear in the sea between the mainland and Awaji Island. The mission—told in a short intro video—was successful, and now the bravest visitors can zip right into his mouth. You can choose between the lower zipline that goes into the mouth or the higher one that passes outside. For me, the choice was obvious: into the mouth!
To complete the base experience, there’s also a shooting game, where you fire at Godzilla’s cells to keep him still… but personally, I didn’t find that part particularly exciting.
The light ticket includes these activities and, in my opinion, it’s already great. But if you’re a Godzilla fan, I strongly recommend the Gold Package, which also includes the world’s first Godzilla Museum, a quiz game, and a special effects studio. Other packages include a Godzilla backpack and unlimited ziplines.
Light Package: from ¥2,800
Gold Package: from ¥4,800
Other packages: from ¥11,300
How to Get There and Practical Info
Nijigen no Mori is located on Awaji Island, which is connected to the mainland by a highway bridge.
We flew into Kobe Airport and rented a car, since we planned to spend the night on the island and visit the Naruto whirlpools the next morning. We took regular roads until Akashi, then entered the highway just to cross the bridge (about ¥1,000 toll), and reached the free parking near Dragon Quest Island in just under an hour.
Even without a car, the park is very easy to reach via public transport, thanks to numerous highway buses departing from both Osaka (about 1.5 hours) and Kobe (about 1 hour). So it’s very doable as a half-day excursion or combined with a visit to one of these cities.
If you’re a fan of anime, games, or Japanese pop culture, Nijigen no Mori is a truly unique stop, easy to fit into a classic itinerary and guaranteed to give you an unforgettable memory of your trip to Japan.
Special thanks to Nijigen no Mori for providing me with tickets to the attractions mentioned.
