Parks and Recreation (and Shopping Malls)

I had to go and pick up some curtains I ordered from the other side of the island this week and there just happened to be a shopping mall right next to the curtain shop. Too bad I took a wrong turn and ended up in Mister Donut - life is tough sometimes. We decided to venture out of the donut shop and take a look around the mall. I was impressed - the Japanese really know how to throw a lot of randomness into one space. In the department store there we went from what looked like women's funeral wear, straight into an arcade, then into a section that sold Hawaiian shirts.

A mall is a mall wherever you go...

Interesting Japanese candy store

Outside of the department store we found some great shops like Uniqlo, a great coffee shop, a 100 yen store, a Best Buy equivalent, some overpriced baby clothes stores...and arcade after arcade. They have photo booths on steroids here - you can have glamour photos taken in these photo booths - choose your level of tan, eye color, skin softness. I didn't actually try the photo booths out because Dominic would never allow such frivolities, but I do plan to have a go soon. We did, however, get to try out this little play area. You pay Y300 per child for 20 minutes of play and they provide massage chairs for the adults in the waiting area (for a fee of course). The kids loved it.

Soft-play area

 

A pink ball, of course!

This is his super excited Tasmanian Devil face. Or the "stink eye" as Chris calls it.

Aaaaah balls

Aaaah my balls...

Baby is SOOO funny

Playtime is over, so they get a Japanese candy bar as a treat. What a life - rewarded with candy for playing. Funny thing is the Japanese are mostly skinny, all the fat asses are American.

We had to try out a few arcade rides too.

While we were out and about we decided to check out a nearby park that had a huge rollerslide. The kids liked it, but I found it a little dirty and it had a lot of random men just lying around on the benches. The men were nice enough and very respectful it was just a little awkward. I guess I am just tainted by the ways of the west, where nothing good ever comes from old men watching kids play at a park - sad to be that way.

Dominic eats a bag of grapes every day, he absolutely loves grapes.

She certainly has no issues with balance, even with an ear infection and in clunky crocs.

That's a big slide

We love rollerslides.

 I'm glad I got us new purpose built rollerslide trays. We go so fast on them.

Mini Trip to Minimini Zoo

On Tuesday we made a trip to a petting zoo called the "Mini-Mini Zoo". All in all it was a bleak trip, aside from the fact that I got to meet and hang out with some pretty cool mommas. I was immediately saddened when I saw a Llama just hanging out, alone, in a concrete enclosure in the parking lot. It didn't get much better inside. 

The animals' enclosures were just tiny - enormous frogs were in buckets where they couldn't even turn around, rabbits were in hamster cages...it was just not a place I would feel inspired to visit again because the animals were not, in my opinion, appropriately housed. It was free, which might be part of the problem. They may be better off charging a couple hundred yen to get in and using that money to care for the animals. The petting zoo is actually an egg farm, that also specializes in cream puffs. I had heard that their cream puffs are incredible and I was excited to try one.  Anyway, we were only there about an hour when Dominic decided to explore outside a typhoon door. He was on his way back in when the heavy steel door got caught by the wind and slammed into his leg. That was it for us - off to the ER we went. Luckily it turns out his leg is just badly bruised and not broken, but even the radiology tech was surprised it wasn't broken. Little Dominic, always up to nonsense and always finding new ways to injure himself.

The kids didn't really understand why they couldn't pet the ostriches.

Oooo ostriches

Cute little piggies, they were so friendly. They're probably due to be turned into some sausage soon.

"Roarrrrrr"

Koi fish!

Sad Little Pony

Alcatraz for animals

Dominic thought it was Maximus from Tangled

Horse with no hope

Dominic felt so bad he even offered to help clean...

Natalie was so excited to see her friend Leona

You couldn't pose a picture like this...

They really love each other.

Toguchi Beach and Park

Last week we found another hidden treasure on this island - there certainly are a lot of them! It's a park about 5-10 minutes from our house called Toguchi Beach Park. The kids absolutely love it at this park - it combines sand, slides, rock climbing and the sea. Natalie even managed to find hermit crabs in the sand where she was digging. We made trips to this park two days in a row because the kids had so much fun and wanted to show daddy the park.

For those of you who don't know, roller slides are one of the funnest slides I've ever been on. They are like the tiny rollers you sometimes see at supermarkets to roll your stuff along at the check-out counter. It is best to sit on a plastic tray or piece of cardboard when going down it to avoid feeling like you are being anally raped. We opted for plastic trays that I picked up at the 100 Yen store as they are faster than cardboard, and who doesn't love speed?! You really can pick up some good speed on these things, they are like manual rollercoasters.

Not the biggest we've seen, but sometimes size isn't everything.

Concrete slides...prepare for ridiculous speed on them, and don't let your but cheeks touch the concrete. Ouch.

Little Lamby on her way to the top of the rollerslide.

I'm not sure how the tray survived this trip, but somehow it is still hanging in there.

And let's go....

My friend Desiree demonstrating the ride...

Playing around the public toilets was way more fun for Dominic...

The kids made some friends.

The poor kitten kept trying to suckle it's mothers dried up teet.

 

Shoo cat don't bother me, shoo cat....

We then headed to the beach area of the park. Okinawa is quite hilly, so you can normally climb up something wherever you go. This little hill overlooked the beach area where the kids played.

We live in a beautiful place

The kids are enjoying their more outdoor existence

Another photo, really??

Smell this delicious flower...

I just LOVE the roots and trees here, they look so Japanesey!

This could say "Eat Shit" but it looks so pretty written in their designer characters...

Natalie said this reminded her of Tangled! Hmm...

I think Natalie was dancing the jig.

Come on, baby!

We were told that the beach is filthy because after Obon (Japanese Day of the Dead), the locals don't swim in the Ocean as they believe evil spirits will drag them down. I know this is true of the day after Obon, but haven't heard of it being after Obon in general. Anyway the beach needed to be cleaned.

Really beautiful

This was a nice cove for the kids to play

It's always a good time for bubbles!

Little crevices all over the place.

Little Man!

My sweet babies are really adapting well to their new home.

Lamby!