Lapras Park opens in Miyagi with a giant slide and a second playground planned for 2026

A four meter Lapras welcomes families in Rifu

A smiling blue Lapras now towers over a new playground inside Moririn Kasenuma Park in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture. Lapras Park opened on October 31, 2025, bringing a climbable Pokemon figure, a slide and a collection of other characters into a public green space near Sendai. Its centerpiece stands 4 meters tall, or 13 feet 1 inch, compared with the 2.5 meters listed for Lapras in the official Pokedex, the guide to Pokemon and their characteristics.

The giant figure is more than a sculpture to photograph. Children can use hand grips along its shell to climb onto its back, then take a slide behind its body to return to the ground. The playground also includes smaller rides, musical play equipment, a maze and places for families to take pictures.

Admission is free, parking is available, and on most days visitors can enter without a ticket or reservation. Broad lawns provide room for picnics, while the surrounding park offers paths, water views and places to rest. Families, local residents and traveling Pokemon fans have already begun including the playground in their visits.

The opening adds a permanent attraction to Miyagi's relationship with Lapras, which became the prefecture's official ambassador Pokemon in 2019. It is also the first of two Lapras playgrounds announced for Miyagi. As of December 16, 2025, the second is planned for Kaigan Park in Sendai in spring 2026.

Why Miyagi chose a Pokemon associated with the sea

Lapras has a special place in Miyagi through Pokemon Local Acts, a nationwide program that supports regional promotion through characters, events and donations. The character's connection with the sea fits the prefecture's coastline and maritime culture. Its role extends beyond the new playground to trains, signboards, tourism projects, campaigns and original goods.

Miyagi is part of Tohoku, the region struck by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Recovery has continued for years, alongside efforts to welcome visitors back to places ready to receive them. Pokemon projects have become one way to encourage trips, draw attention to local communities and bring customers to shops.

In 2016, Lapras appeared more often in coastal areas of Tohoku for a limited period in Pokemon GO. Players could travel to those areas to search for the Transport Pokemon, explore towns and spend money locally. The event used a character associated with the sea to introduce visitors to a region many travelers had not previously explored.

The relationship later developed into a broader partnership. Lapras became Miyagi's ambassador in 2019, and The Pokemon Company has supported the prefecture through promotional activities and, now, playground equipment. The Rifu opening turns that connection into a place children can climb, slide and imagine traveling across the ocean on Lapras.

From a coastal game event to two playgrounds

The new park belongs to a sequence of projects stretching from the region's recovery efforts to the next planned opening in Sendai. The main dates show how a temporary attraction in a mobile game grew into a lasting presence in public spaces.

• March 11, 2011: The earthquake and tsunami struck Tohoku, including Miyagi, beginning years of recovery and efforts to bring visitors back.
• 2016: Pokemon GO increased Lapras appearances in coastal areas of Tohoku for a limited time, encouraging players to visit.
• 2019: Lapras became Miyagi's official ambassador Pokemon.
• October 31, 2025: Lapras Park opened inside Moririn Kasenuma Park in Rifu.
• Spring 2026: A second Lapras playground is planned for Kaigan Park in Sendai.

Rifu's playground gives the town a recognizable attraction for families that fits Miyagi's marine identity. It also joins a wider wave of Pokemon projects intended to bring visitors and activity to Tohoku. Unlike the limited period of increased appearances in Pokemon GO, the playground gives residents and travelers a physical destination for repeat visits.

Climbing aboard the giant Lapras

The central Lapras is posed as though it is ready to carry riders across a calm bay. Its eyes face forward, and its familiar shell curves around the climbing area. Hand grips placed along the shell help children scramble up, while a smooth slide curves down behind the body.

At 4 meters tall, the playground figure is 1.5 meters taller than the 2.5 meter height in the Pokedex, making it 60 percent taller than that listing. The difference helps create the feeling of stepping into the world of the games and animated series, where children can board a Pokemon rather than simply stand beside its picture.

The slide is wide enough for a safe ride and bright enough to stand out in photographs. Soft ground surrounds the Lapras, and nearby open space allows parents to stay close while children play. The arrangement combines the character's visual appeal with familiar playground activities.

A smaller Lapras rocks back and forth and has room for children to climb inside. This feature suits toddlers and preschoolers, giving younger visitors their own version of the central attraction. Together, the two figures allow the same character to appear at different scales across the play area.

Water Pokemon, musical chimes and a maze

Mantyke, Wailmer and Sharpedo appear as figures children can ride, extending the playground's collection of Water type Pokemon. In the games, a type is a category associated with a character's abilities. Here, the Water type characters help carry the sea theme through simple, durable play equipment.

Five Wiglett are placed around the grounds. Three stand beside musical play chimes, one stands alone, and another peeks out from a dome shaped like a seashell. Their different positions create an informal search activity as children look for familiar characters among the equipment.

The park also includes conventional playground pieces. A spring rider offers a bouncing activity for younger children, while a panel maze provides a simple puzzle suited to shorter attention spans. These features give visitors more to do beyond climbing the large Lapras.

A bench featuring Pikachu adds the series mascot to the scene and provides another easy place for photographs. The mix of recognizable figures, rides, chimes and puzzles makes the playground a place for active play as well as a stop for fans collecting pictures of Pokemon attractions.

Photo spots and a new Pokefuta cover

A fixed camera stand helps solo travelers and groups frame a photograph with the giant Lapras without asking someone else to hold the camera. For families, it offers a way to include everyone in a picture after children have climbed the shell or used the slide.

A new Pokefuta manhole cover near the play area features Lapras alongside Mantyke, Swanna and Staryu. Lapras sits at the center of the design, surrounded by waves and a soft color palette that matches the playground's sea theme. The cover gives visitors another small detail to find and photograph.

Pokefuta are specially designed manhole covers installed by local governments in partnership with The Pokemon Company. Each uses original artwork to connect Pokemon with a place, often through a local landmark or landscape. They turn functional utility covers into pieces of public art while remaining durable and useful.

Fans travel from cover to cover, collecting photographs, stamps or QR code scans along their routes. A QR code is a square pattern that a phone can scan to access information. For towns and prefectures, the covers encourage visitors to explore neighborhoods they might otherwise pass by. For travelers, they provide free, permanent things to find without buying a ticket or joining a guided tour.

The Rifu cover can also serve as a photographic backdrop for families recording a child's first climb onto Lapras. It joins a growing network of decorative covers across Japan and is likely to become another stop on the lists fans use to plan journeys through Miyagi.

A playground within a larger green space

Moririn Kasenuma Park is a destination beyond its new Pokemon equipment. Its name comes from Kasenuma, the body of water that gives the grounds a sense of openness. Wide lawns extend toward the water, and paths pass through groves whose appearance changes with the seasons.

Spring brings fresh greens, while autumn trees turn vivid shades of red and yellow around the blue Lapras figures. On clear days, the lawns and playground sit beneath a wide sky. White birds can be seen on the water in winter, and on warm days a breeze moves across the grass fields.

The playground fits into this setting while leaving room for quieter activities. Families can spread picnic sheets on the lawns and spend an afternoon moving between the slide, maze and spring rider. Other visitors can walk through the grounds or pause near the water.

Benches and rest spaces near the equipment allow adults to take a break while watching children. The size of the surrounding park also leaves pockets of calm on busy weekends. Free entry and available parking make a longer visit practical, rather than limiting the trip to a quick photograph with the central figure.

Planning a visit from Sendai

Rifu lies just north of Sendai, the largest city in Tohoku. Trains and local roads make the park an accessible destination for a day trip from the city, and nearby parking areas help families arriving with small children.

Visitors seeking detailed directions can use the park operator's Japanese language park access guide. It explains the nearest stations, bus options and parking locations, allowing travelers to plan the final part of their journey to Moririn Kasenuma Park.

Pokemon fans building a route through Sendai often combine a park visit with a stop at Pokemon Center near Sendai Station. The playground also provides an option for travelers already visiting Sendai or the well known bay towns nearby, without requiring a ticketed theme park visit or a long journey from the Tohoku capital.

Local residents can approach the site as an ordinary afternoon in the park, with the Pokemon equipment as its main attraction. Traveling fans can use the same visit to photograph the giant Lapras, find the five Wiglett and record the new manhole cover.

How tourism promoters introduced the opening

Visit Miyagi, the prefecture's official tourism promotion office, introduced the playground to visitors who speak English. Its message highlighted the central slide, the range of Water type characters and the newly installed Pokefuta cover, addressing travelers who might already be planning a trip to the area.

In its introduction to fans abroad, Visit Miyagi described Lapras's official role and the new attraction in Rifu:

As you may know, Lapras is the official support Pokemon of Miyagi Prefecture, and now Rifu Town has opened an entire park dedicated to this beloved Pokemon: Lapras Park!

The invitation brings together two audiences: families looking for somewhere to play and longtime Pokemon fans seeking a recognizable character in a real landscape. The free public setting allows both to visit without arranging admission to a large commercial attraction.

Sendai is next on the playground plan

The Pokemon Company has announced two Lapras playgrounds for Miyagi. The first is now open in Rifu; the second is scheduled for Kaigan Park in Sendai in spring 2026. No exact opening date was given for the Sendai site.

Designs presented at the prefectural office showed a similar water theme, including a large Lapras play structure and supporting characters such as Wailmer and Wiglett. The plans continue an effort spanning several years to encourage families to visit the coast, take photographs and spend time in parks connected with local nature.

For parents in the Sendai area, the second playground would provide another option within an easy drive once it opens. For Miyagi, the two sites extend Lapras's ambassador role from tourism messages and transport imagery into public places where children can play.

What to Know

• Lapras Park opened on October 31, 2025, inside Moririn Kasenuma Park in Rifu, Miyagi.
• The central Lapras stands 4 meters tall, or 13 feet 1 inch, compared with its 2.5 meter Pokedex height.
• Children can climb grips on the shell and slide down behind the figure.
• Other attractions include a rocking Lapras, Mantyke, Wailmer, Sharpedo, five Wiglett, musical chimes, a spring rider and a panel maze.
• A Pikachu bench and fixed camera stand provide photo spots.
• The new Pokefuta cover features Lapras, Mantyke, Swanna and Staryu.
• Entry is free, parking is available, and most days require no ticket or reservation.
• Lapras became Miyagi's official ambassador Pokemon in 2019, following a coastal Pokemon GO event in 2016.
• A second Lapras playground is planned for Kaigan Park in Sendai in spring 2026.