Is Yomiuriland Worth Visiting? Our Honest Family Review (2026)
When most families think of theme parks in Japan, Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan steal all the attention. But after visiting Yomiuriland during cherry blossom season and catching their famous Jewellumination evening display, I honestly think it’s one of Tokyo’s most underrated family days out. Is Yomiuriland worth visiting? My kids would definitely say so!
We visited Yomiuriland at the end of March this year, and in my opinion, it’s the perfect time to visit. March is when the park holds their cherry blossom event and it’s also the month you can see the Jewellumination evening displays. We were so lucky that both events were running at the same time, creating one of the prettiest theme park experiences we’ve ever had in Japan.
Yomiuriland is also home to the new PokePark Kanto. We couldn’t get tickets (these are so hard to get) and worried it would ruin the Yomiuriland experience for the boys. But we still ended up spending an amazing afternoon here, enjoying the rides, the food, and soaking up the uniquely Japanese atmosphere.
So, is Yomiuriland worth visiting? For the right family, absolutely. Let’s dive in:
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Yomiuriland At A Glance
| Best For…. | Families wanting a quieter Japanese park |
|---|---|
| Ages | 5+ |
| Time Needed | Half a day to a full day |
| Location | Inagi, Tokyo |
| Closest Station | Keio-Yomiuriland. You can then work or take the cable car to the park entrance |
| Tickets | Klook |
| We Visited | March 2026 |
| Our Score | 8.5/10 |
Our Family Verdict
Question of the day: What did you like most about visiting Yomiuriland?
Little Explorer
“I liked seeing all the Pokemon things and collecting Pokemon stamps even though we couldn’t go in PokePark Kanto.
The water slide ride was the best, even though it had a long queue.”
Big Explorer
“My favourite bit about Yomiuriland was all the crazy rides, there were some killer roller coasters here.
I also liked the atmosphere, especially after dark when it was all lit up. The lights in the cherry blossoms looked amazing.”
Travel Mum
Yomiuriland has a very different atmosphere to other Japanese theme parks, even without going on a single ride.
I loved riding the cable car into the park over the cherry blossoms, and especially at the end of the day over the neon lights.”
Travel Dad
“I loved the giant water slide. It was the best family ride we’ve done together for ages.
The jewellumination water fountain show was amazing too, really something unique and special.”
How To Get To Yomiuriland
Yomiuriland is surprisingly easy to reach from Central Tokyo. We’ve done this twice, and the journey time only takes around 45 minutes. Yomiuriland is located in Inagi City, which is on the western edge of Tokyo.
The full address for Yomiuriland is:
4015-1 Yanokuchi, Inagi City, Tokyo, 206-8725, Japan
FROM TOKYO STATION
This is the route that we take. You take the JR Chuo Line from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku. At Shinjuku you transfer to the Keio Line (allow plenty of time for this, Shinjuku Station in the morning rush hour is no joke!) Travel to Chofu Station, change to a local train towards Hashimoto and then get off at Keio Yomiuriland Station
FROM SHIBUYA
This is a faster journey that takes around 35 minutes. Just take the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku, then the same Keio Line route we outlined above to Keio Yomiuriland Station.
GETTING FROM THE STATION TO YOMIURILAND
Once you arrive at Keio Yomiuriland Station, you have three options for getting to the park:
- Sky Shuttle Gondola (our recommendation). This journey takes around 5-10 minutes an is on of the most fun ways to get to the park. The queues to get on look long, but they move quickly, and the views over Yomiuriland are fantastic, well worth waiting for. Especially if you’re visiting in spring or during the Jewellumination event. This costs 300 yen for a one way ticket or 500 for a return journey.
- Yomi01 Bus. This takes around 5 minutes to get from the station and stops directly outside the park entrance. It costs around 210 yen per prson.
- Walking. It is possible to walk from Keio Yomiuriland Station to Yomiuriland, and we saw people doing this. It takes around 20 minutes, but it is a steep uphill walk in places. I wouldn’t really recommend it, especially with kids. You’ll be exhausted before you even stat exploring the park!
Travel Mum Tip: I would absolutely recommend spending extra on the sky shuttle! It’s like a ride in its own right, and going over the park was amazing. The boys were pointing and picking out the rides they wanted to go on from the sky!
Where To Stay Near Yomiuriland
Yomiuriland is located outside of central Tokyo, in the Tama ward, but you can travel from Shibuya to Yomiuriland in around 40 minutes. Yomiuriland is also located just one short stop on the Keio line from Sanrio Puroland, so you could consider staying in the area for the convenience of visiting both theme parks in one short visit.
If you don’t enjoy the commute then staying nearby could make your visit much easier, especially if you’re travelling with younger kids.
We’ve highlighted the closest family-friendly hotels on the map above so that you can compare locations, prices, and availability.
Yomiuriland Tickets
We bought our Yomiuriland tickets before we even landed in Japan, and I strongly recommend you do that too! You can buy tickets online in advance, and guarantee entry. Important if you’re visiting during cherry blossom season, the summer holidays, or the popular Jewellumination event. Not only is it easy and convenient, you’ll also often find better ticket prices in advance than you will if you buy at the ticket gates.
👉 Book your Yomiuriland tickets here with Klook
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra reader-exclusive discount
There are two types of Yomiuriland tickets you can choose. The first is Admission Only, which just gives you access to the park. This is the best choice if you want to see the lights, or soak up the atmosphere, but you don’t want to go on any of the rides.
The second, and in my opinion, best option is the One-Day Pass. This is what we went for, and it’s definitely the best choice for families. The one day pass includes:
✔Park Admission
✔Unlimited rides on almost every attraction in the park
✔Optional entry to HANA and BIYORI, the neighbouring flower park.
If you plan to ride more than 2-3 rides at Yomiuriland, the One-Day Pass is the best value option.
The Best Rides at Yomiuriland
Yomiuriland has a whopping 44 rides and attractions. These range from family-friendly rides for younger children to some genuinely thrilling roller coasters. I’m not going to lie and say it’s possible to do all 44 in one day (queue times mean this would be very tricky) but we rode a dozen or more, and these were our favourites:
BANDIT ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you’re only riding one roller coaster at Yomiuriland, make it Bandit. This is the ride you see as you come over the park on the cable car, and we all pointed at it immediately saying ‘we have to ride that one!’ Reaching speeds of 110 km/h, Bandit races through the trees and is one of Japan’s most iconic roller coasters. If you visit during cherry blossom season, you’ll even speed through tunnels of pink blossom, making it one of the most unique coaster experiences we’ve ever had…..we got off and immediately said we wanted to ride again!
GIANT SKY RIVER ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was probably the boys’ favourite attraction of the entire day. We laughed so hard the whole way down, making it one of those family core moment rides. You grab a huge inflatable raft and plunge down a 386-metre white-water course, complete with rapids, twists and huge splashes. It feels like it goes on for ages, it’s brilliantly chaotic and one of the best family water rides we’ve ever done.
Good to know: Giant Sky River is part of Pool WAI during the summer season, so it requires pool admission and an additional ride fee during the summer months. When we rode in March, it was part of the standard Yomiuriland offering.
SKY PATROL ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was such a unique ride and unlike anything we’ve experienced before.
You pedal your own suspended bicycle along a track high above the Goodjoba!! area while trying to catch thieves in an interactive video game. The faster you pedal, the more fun it becomes, and it was one of those attractions that had the whole family laughing. Well, I say laughing. I was half laughing half panting because all that peddling left me exhausted!
SKY-GO-LAND ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yomiuriland’s giant Ferris wheel is worth riding even if you’re not usually a fan of observation wheels.
On a clear day you’ll enjoy panoramic views across Tokyo and, if you’re lucky, all the way to Mount Fuji. But where this really stood out for us what that during Jewellumination, it’s also one of the best places to appreciate the incredible light displays from above.
PokePark Kanto at Yomiuriland
We couldn’t get tickets to experience PokePark Kanto, but that didn’t ruin our Yomiuriland experience. The fact is, we haven’t visited PokePark Kanto yet, so we don’t want to pretend to give a full review without experiencing it properly ourselves. From my extensive research, PokePark Kanto is a relatively small themed zone rather than a full-scale theme park area, and it can get busy during peak times.
That said, it still looks like a really fun addition to the park, particularly for younger Pokémon fans or anyone looking to add a bit of extra magic to their day at Yomiuriland. I can tell you from experience that you definitely CAN’T get PokePark Kanto tickets on the day, ask if they have cancellations etc. A very lovely team member told us that they are operated as separate businesses, and the ticketing etc are run from different websites.
Planning to visit? We’ve put together a dedicated guide with everything you need to know, including what to expect, tips for visiting, and whether it’s worth prioritising: PokePark Kanto, Tokyo’s Pokemon Theme Park is Opening Spring 2026. Here’s EVERYTHING You Need To Know!
Yomiuriland Seasonal Events
One of the reasons that we think Yomiuriland deserves a place on every Japan itinerary is because no two visits are ever quite the same. This also means you can go back to Yomiuriland on your next visit and have a completely different experience. Why? Because the park completely transforms throughout the year, thanks to their seasonal events. Let’s check them out:
Spring (March – Early April): Cherry Blossom Season
Yomiuriland is regularly listed as being one of the best places to see Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo. The park is home to around 800 cherry blossom trees, and unlike many famous sakura spots, you can actually enjoy the blossoms while riding the attractions.
If you visit after dark, the cherry blossoms are illuminated as part of the park’s special Yozakura Jewellumination, creating one of the most magical evenings we’ve experienced in Japan. I’ve never seen blossoms illuminated like this before, and it was the absolute highlight of our Yomiuriland visit for me.
Travel Mum Tip: We visited during the overlap when both cherry blossom season and Jewellumination were running. If you can time your trip for this short window, you’ll experience the park at its absolute best.
Summer: Pool WAI
During the summer months, Yomiuriland transforms into one of Tokyo’s biggest outdoor water parks. We haven’t visited in the summer yet, but I think this experience looks amazing, and it’s on our list of ways to keep cool in Tokyo during the summer months.
Pool WAI features:
- Five swimming pools
- Eight water slides
- A lazy river
- A beach-style wave pool
- The incredible Giant Sky River raft ride
Winter: Jewellumination
If I had to choose just one time of year to visit Yomiuriland, Jewellumination would probably be it. I cannot emphasise enough just how beautiful it looks here when it’s all lit up at night.
Running from autumn through to spring, Jewellumination is one of the largest illumination events in the Kanto region, with millions of jewel-coloured LED lights transforming the entire park into a glowing wonderland. The highlight for us was the fountain show, which runs several times throughout the night. There’s loads of seating here, so grab a hot chocolate and enjoy the show.
We honestly didn’t expect to be so impressed by the illuminations, but they completely transformed the atmosphere. As darkness fell, it almost felt like we were visiting a completely different theme park, and even taking the sky liner home felt like an absolute treat.
Yomiuriland FAQs
Is Yomiuriland Worth Visiting?
We think that Yomiuriland is absolutely worth visiting. It’s very different from the slick and polished theming you would find in some of Japan’s more well-known theme parks such as the Disney Resort or Universal Studios Japan. But it’s also much cheaper, has a much more authentically Japanese feel, and is a great theme park experience for kids. We loved our Yomiuriland experience, and we can’t wait to go back.
Can You Combine Yomiuriland With Sanrio Puroland?
That’s exactly what we did, and it’s so easy to combine Yomiuriland with Sanrio Puroland. The two experiences are located 3 stops and 9 minutes apart. Sanrio Puroland is in Tama City, and Yomiuriland is at Keio Yomiuriland Station. Both are on the Keio Line.
Because of their close proximity, it’s easy to visit Yomiuriland and Sanrio Puroland in one day. We spent the morning and early afternoon in Sanrio Puroland, then arrived at Yomiuriland at around 3pm, taking advantage of their discounted afternoon entry tickets. We still had plenty of time to go on half a dozen rides and soak up the atmosphere of the park.
How Long Do You Need at Yomiuriland?
Yomiuriland is a large theme park with 44 attractions. This makes it one of the biggest theme parks in Tokyo, and means that if you want to see everything the park has to offer, you should definitely allow a whole day to explore. But if you’re short on time don’t worry. You can get a great overview of the park and ride its best rides in around half a day: this will definitely leave your kids wanting more, but you’ll be glad you explored it.
Is It Suitable For Toddlers?
The biggest attractions in Yomiuriland are the ones that attract the most attraction But that doesn’t mean the park isn’t also a great choice for toddlers. A lage part of the park is designed with younger kids in mind. Rides like Dino Runner and the Ferris Wheel are perfect for the whole family. Then the Goodjoba!! area has interactive and hands on experiences that toddlers can enjoy independently and alongside their parents. We saw so many toddlers having fun as part of wider family groups here.
Can You Visit Yomiuriland Without Visiting PokePark Kanto?
PokePark Kanto tickets are some of the hottest tickets in Japan right now: they’re very difficult to get hold of. You can’t buy these from the Yomiuriland website, and although the two parks are in the same location, they are operated as entirely separate entities.
But don’t let that put you off visiting Yomiuriland. We have visited Yomiuriland without visiting PokePark Kanto, and we had an amazing experience. There were so many rides, shows, and interactive experiences that we wouldn’t have been able to fit both into the same day anyway!
Final Thoughts and Further Reading
Yomiuriland won’t replace Tokyo Disney or Universal Studios Japan. But I don’t think it’s trying to.
It isn’t the best theme park in Japan (in my opinion, that’s the Tokyo Disney resort) but instead, it’s one of the most charming, relaxed and surprisingly beautiful theme parks we’ve visited anywhere in Japan. It’s made for family fun, and it’s a place where you can see real local families relax and unwind.
If you’re looking for something a little different,and somewhere Japanese families genuinely spend their weekends, then I think it’s well worth checking out.
Looking for other ‘don’t miss’ attractions in Tokyo? Check out some of other other guides and reviews:
👉 Best Theme Parks in Japan for Kids (Ranked By Our Family)
👉 Tokyo Disney vs Universal Studios Japan: Which is Better for Kids in 2026?
👉 Red Tokyo Tower Review: Why This Is A Fun Futuristic Attraction In Tokyo!
👉 Pokemon Tokyo Experiences And Attractions (2026 Guide For Pokemon Fans!)
👉 Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo Review: Is It Worth It?
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