Goldfish and Carp Village Square is a spacious, nature-rich park in Nagasu Town, Tamana District, Kumamoto Prefecture. The park celebrates the town’s specialties of goldfish and ornamental carp, offering a distinctive combination of fish exhibits, open lawns, play areas, seasonal flowers, and community events. It is popular with local families as well as visitors exploring the Ariake Sea coast.
The park’s central facility, the Goldfish House, opened in 1995. It displays a variety of goldfish bred in Nagasu, allowing visitors to admire their different shapes, colors, and patterns. Visitors can also try goldfish scooping, a traditional Japanese festival activity enjoyed by both children and adults.
Beyond the exhibits, the park has athletic play equipment, broad grassy areas, and a small stream where visitors can enjoy being close to nature. The open layout makes it suitable for a relaxed family outing throughout the year.
During Japan’s Golden Week holiday period in May, the park becomes the venue for the Hino Kuni Nagasu Goldfish Festival. One of the event’s main attractions is the Kyushu Goldfish Scooping Championship.
The competition attracts enthusiastic participants from around the region. At the 2023 event, 400 people took part in the individual competition. The festival is a major local event and draws many visitors who come to enjoy goldfish-related activities and experience Nagasu’s distinctive goldfish culture.
The park contains three main grassy areas: the Event Plaza, Harappa Plaza, and the Multipurpose Plaza. Visitors can relax on the lawns while looking out over a landscaped pond where ornamental carp swim.
Harappa Plaza has wooden play equipment that gives children room to run around and play. The Seseragi River, a small stream that crosses the area, is a popular place for children to splash and play in the water during summer.
The Multipurpose Plaza is the largest of the three lawns. It is used for flea markets, local gatherings, and community events, making it an important public space for the town as well as a recreational park.
The landscaped pond is one of the park’s relaxing features. Colorful ornamental carp swim through the water, creating a pleasant view for visitors strolling around the grounds. The pond highlights the area’s connection with ornamental fish breeding and gives the park a distinctive character.
Goldfish and Carp Village Square is also known as a quieter cherry blossom viewing spot in spring. A line of cherry trees follows the waterways, and the blossoms create a beautiful contrast with the water and the green lawns.
During the flowering season, visitors can take a leisurely walk, enjoy the blossoms, and spend time outdoors in a peaceful setting. The tree-lined paths are among the park’s seasonal highlights.
The park hosts community events during spring, summer, and autumn. In addition to the May goldfish festival, the grounds are used for seasonal gatherings and autumn harvest events. These occasions bring local residents and visitors together and help maintain the park’s role as a center of community life.
The open spaces are also suitable for walking, school excursions, and casual outdoor recreation. Families can enjoy the playgrounds, lawns, water features, and seasonal scenery during a single visit.
From Nagasu Station on the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line, Goldfish and Carp Village Square is approximately a 24-minute walk, or 1.9 kilometers.
By car, the park is approximately 22 kilometers from the KikusuI Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway. Parking is available, making the park convenient for families and visitors traveling by car.
Goldfish and Carp Village Square combines a public park with a celebration of Nagasu’s ornamental fish industry. From the Goldfish House and goldfish-scooping activities to the landscaped pond, wooden playground equipment, stream, and cherry trees, it offers something for visitors of different ages.
The park is especially lively during the May festival, but its open lawns and seasonal scenery make it a pleasant place to visit throughout the year.