Going to Japan, one can see how public parks differ, when comparing to the United States.
Almost near every neighborhood, one can find a park not far away.
In Meguro, right next to Ryusenji Temple is Fudo Park.
As I was traveling to Ryusenji Temple and finding out the temple was closed for repairs, wanting to rest for a little while, I kicked back and watched the teachers with their students.
And as I watched, just seeing how different the playground was from the US. In the United States, you tend to have tables and barbecue pits throughout the park. You have your usual slide, swings, jungle gym and some with more elaborate play areas.
But at Fudo Park, it was interesting to see this slide and the climbing rocks and cables for children to play.
At first, I was wondering how children would slide on the surface as it looked rough, but obviously they had no problems. But as I watched, just seeing how some students reacted when one slid a bit too fast and crashed on the child below and how the teachers managed the situation.
It was one of those moments where I appreciated those small moments of life, especially away from the concrete jungle of Tokyo and just watching and appreciating the park’s environments.
Those short moments made me want to visit more of them in my next trip in Japan and seeing how different various neighborhood parks are from each other.
