Log cabin in Japan

Earlier this week, Mary's parents were visiting in Tokyo, so we spent some time sightseeing with them. They were staying in the Asakusa area, which was close to this neat clock (Picture 1). At the hour, the clock slides up and these festival dancers emerge, accompanied by music. We also spent busy days taking a ferry up and down the Sumida River, the Hama Rikyu Garden, the Tokyo Edo Museum, the National Museum, and to various department stores around Tokyo. Laurea was quite worn out by the end and fell asleep on the subway ride home.

Today, Laurea and Russ visited one of Yokohama's "log cabins." Every area, around Tokyo at least, seems to have these free play spaces for small children. Tokyo's Metropolitan Children's Hall is a quite large, modern building. In Yokohama, they look like log cabins. We have read that they are made from cedar shipped from Montana.

First, the kids go in and take off their shoes (picture #2). There is an attendant booth near the front - we can't quire figure out what the attendant does, but she's quite nice anyhow (picture #3). There are also a couple of games and a library up front. Then (picture #4), there are activities that would make an American personal injury lawyer go crazy: fire poles up to the ceiling, trampolines, rope bridges, ladders, even a maze in the crawl space under the floor. It's a model that Russ would like to bring to the U.S.