We ate our fill, knowing we needed lots of energy for the day. When our bellies were full, we grabbed our bags and checked out of the hotel. The hotel provided a shuttle from the hotel to Shinrin Koen, also known as Musashi-Kyuryo National Government Park (or we could have gone to the station). As soon as we mentioned the park, my son was super excited. He didn't even know what the park entailed. All he knew was a park was in his future. He was ready to play some more.
We were dropped off at the South Gate of the park. After purchasing tickets to enter (¥450/$4.25USD for adults, kids under elementary school were free), we headed for Ponpoko Mountain, Japan's largest air trampoline. This huge white mountain was like a magnet for all the kids. I don't know how we managed it, but there was hardly anyone there.
Our kids went nuts running and jumping, while laughing whole heartedly. I even gave it a try for a bit and couldn't stop laughing the whole time. This was quite the feat, since I'm normally way too self-conscious to jump with abandon in public.
My son bounced almost nonstop for 2 hours. I made him take short breaks for water and onigiri (rice balls). He didn't seem to be loosing his energy, but I had looked at the map and knew there was more at the park he would enjoy.
We departed from the group and walked up to the West Gate. It was a long distance (2 km/1.24 miles) in the heat and humidity, but we were determined to find the adventure course. My son's obsession of ninja training parks kept us walking despite the sweat rolling down our backs.
As soon as we walked up to the course featuring 24 obstacles, he jumped for joy and than ran to start climbing, swinging, and exploring. Although the adventure course is geared toward upper elementary school students, I am confident in my son's abilities and I was there to watch him and make sure he was being safe.
The course is laid out through the woods, built amongst the trees and a pond. Most of the structures were made of wood, which would explain why the course is closed on rainy days.
My son loved climbing the various obstacles and riding the two zip lines. He pushed himself to balance across wobbly balancing bridges and swing from platform to platform. I was impressed as he championed the course. But more importantly, he impressed himself.
After finishing his "ninja training" for the day, we met back up with friends. The park had a display of huge bugs our sons really wanted to see. They had little plastic boxes with humungous beetles and more from Japan and beyond. The boys were over the moon with excitement to see the various bugs. I was just thankful there was a barrier between us.
By this time, it was half past three. We still had an hour and a half commute home, so it was time to go. We hopped on the bus to go back to the station and started our journey home.
Shinrin Koen was an incredible park. Although we walked through almost half the park, we just saw the tip of the iceberg.
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