Eucalyptus Traffic Park is a traffic safety education park operated by Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture. Designed to teach children about road rules and safe behavior in a fun and practical way, the park recreates many features of a real traffic environment. It is enjoyed by local families and can also be an interesting destination for visitors traveling with children.
The park was created specifically for traffic safety education and includes roads, intersections, traffic lights, road signs, railway crossings, and other facilities modeled on real streets. Children can ride go-karts and bicycles through this miniature road network while learning how to behave safely in different traffic situations.
With its carefully designed layout, the park resembles a small-scale driving school. Rather than simply learning road rules from books or lectures, children can experience them firsthand while having fun. Parents and children can therefore spend time together while learning important lessons about traffic safety.
In addition to its miniature roads and traffic facilities, Eucalyptus Traffic Park features several large vehicles that are especially popular with children. Displays have included the D51 steam locomotive D51 405, an S-62 rescue helicopter, and a fire engine.
Seeing these full-sized vehicles up close gives children a sense of their scale and provides an opportunity to learn more about different forms of transportation and emergency services. As of May 2021, D51 405 was temporarily unavailable for viewing because it was undergoing restoration work, while the other exhibits and vehicles remained available.
Individual visitors can use the park during periods when organized group instruction is not taking place. Since its opening, the facility has also been used for traffic safety education at public elementary schools in Matsudo, playing a long-standing role in educating children about safe behavior on the roads.
In the past, the park has also hosted training sessions for people riding motorized bicycles, demonstrating that its educational activities have extended beyond young children to a wider range of age groups.
Eucalyptus Traffic Park also serves an important role in disaster preparedness. Under Japan’s Civil Protection Law, the park has been designated as an evacuation facility for use in emergencies, including situations involving armed attacks and other threats covered by the national civil protection system.
This means that the park functions not only as a place for recreation and education but also as part of the local infrastructure intended to help protect residents during emergencies.
Eucalyptus Traffic Park opened in 1971. Since then, it has provided generations of children in Matsudo and neighboring areas with opportunities to learn traffic safety in a practical and enjoyable environment.
The D51 steam locomotive D51 405 has long been one of the park’s most recognizable attractions. The area north of the park also includes a soccer field created using a reservoir site, allowing the surrounding area to serve not only for traffic education but also for sports and recreation.
The park can conveniently be reached from Kita-Kogane Station on the JR Joban Line by taking a Matsudo Shin-Keisei Bus. Get off at the Kotsu Koen bus stop.
From Kita-Kogane Station, visitors can take either the [Kogane 1] Koganehara Danchi clockwise loop or the [Kogane 2] bus bound for the Koganehara Bus Information Center via Omotemon. For the return journey, take the [Kogane 3] bus bound for Kita-Kogane Station.
The area around Eucalyptus Traffic Park is also home to Kurigasawa Castle, a historic site associated with Matsudo’s past. Visitors interested in local history can combine a visit to the traffic park with nearby historical attractions, making the area suitable for both families and travelers interested in exploring Matsudo beyond its urban center.
Eucalyptus Traffic Park provides an environment where children can naturally learn important traffic rules through hands-on experience. By using the park’s roads, intersections, signals, and signs, children can practice safe behavior in situations that closely resemble those they may encounter on actual streets.
Riding a go-kart or bicycle through a miniature road network allows children to experience traffic rules rather than simply memorizing them. They can practice following traffic signals, understanding road signs, and behaving safely on roads while enjoying the experience as a form of play.
This combination of recreation and practical education makes the park particularly appealing to families. Children can have fun while gradually developing an awareness of how to move safely through real-world traffic environments.
Eucalyptus Traffic Park is a distinctive facility in Matsudo where education, recreation, and community safety come together. Its miniature streets and traffic facilities allow children to learn road rules through direct experience, while its collection of large vehicles adds another element of interest.
The park’s role extends beyond education and recreation, as it also forms part of Matsudo’s emergency preparedness infrastructure. For families visiting the city, it offers an enjoyable way to introduce children to the importance of traffic safety while exploring a different side of the local community.