Named after the Finnish word for forest, Metsä Village is a large Nordic-themed park in Saitama prefecture. The free-entry park provides a calm, stress-free environment on the shore of Lake Miyazawa, with a thick, lush forest just across the water. Parents can relax at a café or shop for genuine Nordic homewares.
For something a little more active, hire a canoe and paddle around the lake. And for the kids, there’s the Panza Miyazawako – an adventure playground with a difference. Up in the trees, thick woven nets are stretched out to create undulating platforms for kids to run, jump and walk on. These so-called ‘funmocks’ – that’s a disconcerting blend of ‘fun’ and ‘hammock’ – turn into walls, floors, slides and tunnels. It’s an ingenious play park in the sky, and they won’t want to come down.