Spa Resort Hawaiians — Attraction in Iwaki

I am a water park enthusiast and I have been to some of the best in the world. This was my first water park in Japan. This water park is nothing special. Anyone giving this place anything above 3 stars has not experienced a true water park before.

This place needs some renovation. It is a very aged building and there was a lot of rust close by. On the stairs, the hand rail, and other places. This water park is also very disorganized. They have different closing times for different pools in the park instead of just having one time. Honestly, everything should be open until at least 8 pm since the park closes at 10 pm.

First water park I have been to that does NOT have a wave pool. They have one giant indoor pool which doesn't have much to it. Other pools are outside, indoor/outdoor onsen style pools, a pool for children.

The "lazy river" is the worst lazy river I have ever seen. It is very short and goes in one small oval track. Most lazy rivers go around the entire park.

Now for the slides. The indoor slides close to the main indoor pool are very slow and not exciting. Also, they take a very long time to allow people to go down the slide. I understand safety precautions, but similar slides around the world never take as long as this water park does. The two slides that require floats are very fun though!

The best thing about this place is Big Aloha, two very tall slides that not only last long, but are very fast. I will say that the two Big Aloha slides are some of the BEST slides I have ever been on.

This water park is very busy, so getting the unlimited waterslide pass isn't really worth it because you will be waiting a long time during the day. As it gets later, the line goes much faster though.

The price for this place is steep and it really should be cheaper. They are charging too much money for a very limited water park. They should at least include rental gear for free, or unlimited water slide rides at no cost.

The show at the end of the night is...

So I've been to a few waterparks in my life, indoor and outdoor. This ranks at the bottom of indoor waterparks for me. Massanutten and Great Wolf Lodge are so much better. Though, you deal with what's available in the area... and this is all you get up here in Northern Japan. Place is falling apart visually.

The indoor waterpark area is inside an abandoned giant hangar that's not getting a lot of love up top. Visual rust, algae growing, paint chipping, even the slides look like they've been through a few decades. Pieces of the fake stone decor is missing in some areas. The saltwater fish tank in between the lazy river is waaay to small for the fish inside. And the water you use to clean off your feet prior to going into the waterpark has no filtration system... you can see the hair and dirt waving around in it. I felt like I was actually making my feet dirtier stepping into it.

Everything costs extra (slides, tubes, towels, lockers, buffet drinks) and there are shops & restaurants everywhere trying to suck you dry with way too much inventory. Sunday is always the busiest anywhere you go in Japan, so avoid that day if possible as it's usually 5x normal crowds.

We didn't pick our rooms with ITT but i wish we could've because we definitely got the ghetto wing (South Tower 2). Maybe they've had problems with service member families tearing up the place or whatever, but ya... it would've been nice to choose a view and better living conditions even if it cost extra. The rest of the hotel looks great except this part. Really makes me question doing anymore ITT trips that aren't nature hikes.

Bottom line, bring tubes, towels, yen and don't expect too much. It's not...

Have you heard of the Spa Resort Hawaiians in Fukushima? This is a fun spot for families. It offers an indoor and outdoor water park, slides, kid areas, Hawaiian hula shows, onsens, and a hotel. This resort park was built in 60s. It's a little dated inside but our kids had a blast. I really enjoyed the big gray tube slide!

"Spa Resort Hawaiians is a one-stop water park, onsen, and entertainment facility with a Hawaiian theme. It is located in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, and was formerly known as Joban Hawaiian Center. Inaugurated in 1966, it is considered the first theme park to be built in Japan. Over the years, the resort has been upgraded to meet with times, and it is still today a highly visited destination.

The most famous attraction of the resort are the Hawaiian dance performances by the Hula Girls, the dance team whose name is synonymous with the resort ever since it opened."

📍 972-8326 Fukushima, Iwaki, Jobanfujiwaramachi, Warabidaira−５０

🚗 About 3.5 hours, driving, from Yokosuka and 2 hours 40 minutes from Tokyo.

🚆 The resort runs free, hourly shuttle buses to/from Yumoto Station (15 minutes). In addition, it also runs free buses for staying guests all the way to/from Tokyo (3 hours) and Yokohama (3.5 hours). Advance reservations are required for the buses to/from Tokyo...