Hattori Ryokuchi Park's Insect Doctor Training Program

This 'giant ecological laboratory' in northern Osaka offers more than you can imagine! Ride a tandem bike through a 3-kilometer forest tunnel and suddenly be drawn to the 'beetle supply station' in the treetops—it's a special feeding and observation point for rhinoceros beetles set up by the park. Inside the insectarium, the 'Underground Kingdom Perspective Box' allows children to use flashlights to track the routes of ants carrying food. My 5-year-old daughter counted the ants' legs and said, 'They're doing tap dance!' The weekend-only 'Tree Sap Collection Experience' is the craziest, where parents and children wear special helmets to collect oak sap and then make shiny amber pendants in a workshop. Before heading back, don't forget to visit the Showa-era snack shop in the corner of the park and toast with marble soda to celebrate becoming an 'Insect Doctor'!