Afternoons in the park

After school, we still spend most afternoons at the park with our friends.  We move around between different areas to give the kids new areas to explore.  Some days are spent near the frog pond where they catch tiny frogs and splash in the water.  Other days are spent in a wooded area where they climb trees and dig in the dirt.  Cloudy days are spend on the hill, where the kids run up and down, ride bikes back and forth, and play in the bushes.  Rainy days are usually spent at the play ground, because no one else is there!

But this week, we've moved to a different park.  Akinohi is a smaller green belt with a stream running through it.  There is plenty of space for the kids to kick around a ball, mimicking the World Cup Soccer that many of their parents are watching every night.  But the real attraction is the stream where they can go fishing for crayfish. 

With chunks of roasted squid tied to strings, they try to beckon the small crustaceans out of their hiding places.  Each kid has their own thoughts on the best places ways to lure them.  Mostly, they fail.  But when they succeed in getting a crayfish out of the water and into a bucket, the whole area erupts with gleeful shrieks and urgent peeks.  No one actually wants to touch them.  Instead they look and run away to their moms.  After a quick hug or pat, they are back repeating the comical routine.

The exploration of parks is such an integral part of childhood.  These rites of passage fill me with joy, as I thought we wouldn't be able to share them in Tokyo.  But if one looks hard enough, the experiences are there.  They just need to be discovered.