Our first few days in Japan, Sam and Nina were still in school. Once their school break began, we started going on adventures with the whole family. We visited Oasis Park, a public park with a theme of celebrating the waters and natural beauty of Japan (or maybe just of the Gifu prefecture?). The kids were excited about the many koi in the park streams.
They also enjoyed looking down on the adults from the tall bridge over the stream.
Park staff tending to the flowers in one waterway. This photo is just one example of how well tended the public places were. Bushes were pruned; trees were labeled and supported; litter was virtually non-existent. At one temple we saw staff carefully sweeping the mossy ground free of leaves.
More koi--some quite big!
One section of the park included a traditional wood home, with thatched roof.
Up close, it was impressive to see just how thick the thatch was: probably 14-18" thick.
The park had a fun playground with a zip line swing...
..and a restaurant where all three girls got ramen.
Throughout the trip, Juniper and Hazel were delighted that Japanese table manners allow for slurping your noodles and soup.
We ended our trip to the park with a visit to the Gifu aquarium, where Hazel was attacked by a giant piranha. Ok, not really. But we did see some piranhas.
Sometimes, Jedi battles can be as much fun as any other vacation activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment