A Japanese Amusement Park!

On Tuesday a group of teachers took Amanda and I to Miroku no Sato, and amusement park in Fukuyama. We caught the 8:57am train to Fukuyama station (about an hour away) and one of the teachers picked us up and drove us to the park. We were told to bring our swimsuits.

It was so incredibly hot. Hotter than normal, is that is even possible. The sun was shining in all it's glory & the heat was intense. We headed to the waterpark first. We settled in to a shaded area under an umbrella that we had rented and were instantly ready to hit the water. There were waterslides, a few different swimming pools, a child-sized area, a concession stand, and picnic tables & layout chairs. Very similar to back home.

You could rent these little huts. Of course they were all taken, but the idea is great. I could have slept in there!

Typical - the concession stand line was a mile long. Just like home :)

This thing was new to me. You waited in line for about a half hour and then they let like 20 people in at a time. The blue & white thingy is filled with air & you use the ropes to pull you up to the top & then it looked somewhat like a trampoline because everyone would start jumping up and down & then fall/slide down. Is it wrong to admit that it was somewhat funny to watch people get 1/2 up and then fall down? If so, I did not admit anything.

There was one noticeable difference. The Japanese swimming attire. Some were in swimsuits, but some people were wearing long shorts and long sleeves - to swim in! Amanda and I were stripping down to our swimsuits & these people are putting clothes on to get in the water. Some even wore wetsuits with long sleeves. They do not want the sun to touch them. Interesting. Amanda and I were welcoming the sun (with a mild SPF) and paid for it later with matching sunburns! :)

How cute.

We went on the water slides, swam, invited ourselves to play a game of water volleyball with some Japanese kids, ate lunch, and caught a lot of sun.

This kid was super cool. His name was Shipei (she-pay) and he was in 6th grade. He was hilarious.

Lunch was interesting. Amanda and I had a picture menu and were starving. I was starving so I wasn't up for trying something new. We decided on hot dogs and french fries. :) We each had a beer and they brought over some fried balls of something. Amanda told me that it was octopus. I remembered what my dad told me, "Don't do it!" My curiosity won and I decided to try. Mistake! I should have listened to my dad. In the two weeks that I have been here I have not gagged when trying any new foods - not even the anchovies or the raw fish. I gagged. This was disgusting. Even worse was when I finally swallowed Amanda and I decided to dissect this round ball of grossness. Inside were little octopus tentacles. Literally. You could see all of the little suction cups and I swear it was still moving. Ok, it wasn't - but it was gross. Never again.

We reluctantly left the waterpark. It was so hot & the water was nice. We headed for the rides. It's different than Six Flags. You get tickets and pay per ride. The park was small, it reminded me of Arnold's Park in Okoboji, but it had a number of different attractions. Amanda and I went on the pirate ship (my personal favorite) and the roller coaster. I'm always a skeptic at amusement parks (what if a bolt snapped and I plummeted to my death?) but I go on the rides anyway. The roller coaster here was no exception. I was terrified. Not only were we up extremely high in the air, but the park itself is on a mountain which makes the view terrifying, yet beautiful. I felt as though I was taking my last breaths on this ride. Not only that but I had the great idea of recording the journey, which made it hard for me to hold on for dear life. Watch and see! You can hear my screams and the fear in my voice.

Here's the video. Hiromi (he-rome-ee) is a person on the ride with us. Oh, and no one on the rides makes any noise. Hardly any laughing or screaming. Amanda and I were laughing and screaming the whole way. People thought we were insane. Also, the Japanese people hang on for dear life on the rides. They think we are equally crazy for putting our hands in the air.

Enjoy! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3055135000218669572&hl=en

It is a HUGE deal when we can get a child to hold our hand. They are afraid of us and if it actually happens, everyone photographs it. It's kind of weird.

After two rides, ice cream, and minimal shade we decided to abandon the 'amusement' and head to a section of the park that represented pre-bombed Japan. It was a replica of how life was before war times and what the cities and towns looked like. It was really interesting - and some parts were even air conditioned!

An old fashioned shoe shop, although some still look like this. All of the wood pieces are the bottoms of the shoes.

An old style toy shop.

Growing tomatoes - slightly different than at home. They hook the plants up to these fence like things but the tomatoes taste the same. Delicious.

These pictures are from an old style portrait studio. I took them for my grandpa.

Anyone have to use the bathroom before we go home? These signs were all over the place. Different from the signs back home!

We left the park and headed home. Amanda and I were so tired we slept on the train on the way back. I could never figure out how the locals could sleep on the train - it's bumpy, noisy, crowded, and what if you missed your stop? But now I know - if you're tired enough, you can sleep on the train.

All in all, a good day. Tiring, but good.

-tara-

xoxo