| Water Park: | The Boon |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1-1 Hirakata-Koen-cho |
| Hirakata |
|
| Osaka 573-0054 |
|
| http://www.hirakatapark.co.jp/en | |
| Operated by: | Keihan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. |
The Boon is the water park of the theme park Hirakata Park (ひらかたパーク) in Hirakata near the city of Osaka. It is opened during the hot summer months and is a very good target if you want to escape the heat of the city. It offers a large lazy river and some pools, as well as two thrilling water slides, which unfortunately requires an additional fee.
Fun Fact #1: During the winter season, the grounds are used for the Carnaval Festival, a large ice skating rink.
Fun Fact #2: On top of the mountain and just beneath the roller coaster Red Falcon, there is a swimming pool featuring a length of 20m and an amazing view onto the city of Osaka.
A visit to The Boon
Hurricane Slider
While the amusement park section of Hirakata Park was busy, but by no means full, the Japanese spent their time in the water park The Boon, for which an extra charge applies. The water park offers a very long but very shallow Lazy River, the bodyslides Hurricane Slider (ハリケーンスライダー), a tube slide, a slope-laid Crazy River, an interesting slope-laid children’s slide and a small 20m pool just below the turning curve of the Red Falcon roller coaster.
While the Lazy River is packed, the other areas of the water park are partly deserted. The slides, however, all share a bland aftertaste. For whatever reason all Japanese sliders used the two bodyslides exclusively in a sitting position, so that the actually very short queue did not want to move at all, or an additional fee is charged.
Canyon Ride and Crying Tube
Since I was already very interested in the Crazy River Canyon Ride (キャニオンライド) during the planning phase of the vacation, I didn’t miss the chance to try it out. To be fair, I also have to say that the tube slide Crying Tube (クライングチューブ) above it appealed to me when I went up to the starting position, but I did not want to spend another 300¥ for another slide. After a very rough and sometimes heavily slowed down (and therefore less wild) ride on the Crazy River, I would have reconsidered that anyway. The slide down the hill was okay, but I expected a bit more from it – which was then fulfilled on a much more inconspicuous slide just a few days later at Joyful Waterpark.
Conclusion The Boon
Was the surcharge of about 1000¥ fair for a visit to The Boon water park? Yes and no. It would have been a clear yes if the two big slider had been included, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. However, I have to say that there is something special about being able to swim underneath a jet coaster with the best view of towards the city of Osaka. In addition, you are mostly on your own up on the hill and can escape the hustle and bustle of the Lazy River and, above all, the heat of the day.
What is your opinion about the water park The Boon? Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:
Click here for the next report of the Titanic Max Tour
Aquopolis Torrevieja 
