Bios on the Hill is alright. I booked my trip through ITT which included the guided boat tour. It’s either a small lake or a large pond. Hard to tell. They call it a lake. The main benefit of booking through ITT is that you will have english narration of the boat tour. As you float around the pond, the tour guide describes the various vegetation that you see. Occasionally, the pilot will bump the boat into the bank to show you the plants that they are particularly proud of. You’ll pass a floating barge that features a traditional Okinawan dancer.

The dancing was pretty need and the pond was worth the trip. If you purchase the tickets for Bios on the Hill yourself, you’ll still have the option of paying about ¥600 to add the boat tour to the trip. It was my favorite part of the visit, so if you stop by Bios on the Hill, I’d recommend adding it. Unfortunately, if you book independently, the boat tour would be narrated in Japanese. You also have the option to tour the pond yourself on a rented paddle board or canoe for ¥1500. That’d probably be neat.

After completing the boat tour, we had time to explore the rest of the park. There was a playground for children that was made of natural logs. If I had kids, I’d think that was pretty cool. You could pay ¥900 to have a water buffalo pull you around the park on a cart. There are goats. You could walk on stilts if that was something that you were in to. I walked around the park. It’s not too big. There’s a nice swing, some hammocks, wooden chairs you can lay down on. It’s a nice park.

Cost: ¥810 plus extras

Hours: Daily 0900 – 1800