Let them play like the good old times

When friends come to Tokyo, we go out of our way to make sure we can see them.  Several weeks ago, two families from my son's school (daycare) in America contacted us to see if we could meet during their family upcoming vacations.  Since my son just started summer vacation from school, it was really easy to make plans to meet up.  It was like we were destined to be reunited.

Since it has been so hot, we all quickly agreed that we should plan an indoor activity.  Our kids are used to playing very actively with each other and dehydration is a big concern these days.  There are alerts on the TV daily about avoiding dehydration and recommending staying indoors.  We tried to find a place located centrally for all three families, as well.  We ended up deciding on ASOBono!, a children's museum in Tokyo Dome City. 

None of us had been there, but it was super easy to find.  We were planning on purchasing all day passes, but were sadly informed that these passes are not sold during summer vacation.  So, we bit the bullet and paid for one hour of play.  To enter, you pay for the adult entrance and one hour for the child.  When you check out, they charge you for each additional half hour of play for the child only.  Since the adult and child each cost ¥930 to enter and the additional time rate is ¥410 per half hour, the fees can quickly add up (2 hours of play costs approximately $25 for one adult and one child). 

After removing our shoes, paying, and putting my bag in a locker, we were ready to play!  The kids ran full force into the first area that contained the hugest ball pit in all of Tokyo, slides, climbing walls, a pirate ship, and a bounce area.  They were all darting from thing to thing, so happy in this new place of wonder.  The Adventure Ocean was a big hit with the kids.  They played in this room for almost an hour.

At that point, the kids went various directions as they headed to the Pleasure Station (trains and cars), Colorful Town (restaurant, market, house, and library), and the Toy Forest (log cabin, board games, fishing, workshop, and more).

The atmosphere is fun and there is lots of open space for the kids to run around and play.  They all didn't want to leave, but lunch called.  Right next door is a food court with several options and great choices for kids.  The kids all had a ball today.  It was so neat to hear them switch between Japanese and English with each other as they played together.

It is amazing to see my son reconnect with friends that he has had since he was a baby.  As much as of a delight it was conversing with the parents, seeing him reunite with friends is even better.