Arima

Last weekend our family headed to Arima, a nearby town in the mountains, famous for its hot springs and the onsen that have been built around them. Onsen is the Japanese word for hot spring and has also come to mean the baths that have been built over them. Men and women bathe separately but in communal baths. Actually, you shower before you get in, so the baths are more about soaking and relaxing than they are about getting clean. However, everyone is naked! I haven't had the courage to try one yet, but I was curious to see the town.

I was expecting to see a quaint mountain town surrounded by bubbling pools of water. Actually, I never did see a hot spring and the town was more of a modern, slightly dilapidated tourist trap. However, we had a fantastic time anyway!

Matt discovered that there was an Arima Toy and Automata Museum. We used this as a bribe to get the kids to go on our adventure without complaining too much. At first the museum seemed like a complete bust. Tin toys in glass cases. However, the further we explored, the more interesting and interactive things we discovered. Many of the toys were German or Swiss made, especially the wooden 

toys.

 The kids had a blast with these!

The tin toys and automata were mostly Japanese. Some of these were really fascinating.

Large doll. She was in the automated section but not sure what she did.

Matt was fascinated by the packaging for Robby the Robot!

Automated dragon. You turned it's crank and the mouth and body moved.

Automated dolls that moved when the crank was turned

We ended up staying for over two hours! Matt and I finally had to pull them away in order to eat lunch. We didn't make it far. On the second floor was the Toys Restaurant. This little guy met us at the door.

The restaurant had a nice view of the street and did offer a child's meal served on a wooden train. However, our kids chose a hamburgers and rice. Katie did try her first bowl of real ramen (and loved it!) 

 

Matt and I had a traditional Japanese dish called shabu-shabu. It consists of meats and vegetables cooked in a broth on a hot plate in the center of the table. It was really good! So were the dipping sauces served on the side.

After lunch we walked back to the car and finally found a little hidden pocket of traditional Japan in the form of a Shinto shrine and Buddist temple complex.

The Buddist temple

Katie and Laura at the Buddhist temple, ringing the bell to get the  gods attention for their prayers.

Eating ice cream with a statue of a Tanuki, a Japanese raccoon dog. Tanuki statues are found everywhere around Japan, especially outside restaurants and bars. The Tanuki is most often depicted with a big round tummy, gigantic testicles, a flask of sake, a promissory note, and a straw hat. 

 Our next stop was the Rokko-Arima Ropeway. This was a cable car that went up and down the steep slopes of the mountain. (Not my favorite thing!) However we did get gorgeous views of the mountain.

Waterfall near the Arima side.

When we got to the Rokko side of the ropeway we passed over an huge wooden obstacle course built in the woods and trailing up and down the side of the mountain. The kids were immediately intrigued. This was the Mt. Rokko Athletic Field and it consisted of 40 obstacle course stations. Nathan did every one! The girls did their best but their were a few that I absolutely refused to let them try. Given the lack of any safety features and the steepness of the trial, the most amazing thing about the place was that we didn't see anyone break any bones!

Much too cool for us, he took off and we only saw him at the beginning and the end.

 

Matt couldn't resist trying this one!

We had a great day and we all came home sweaty and exhausted! Nathan is already begging to go back but I kind of feel like we already may have used up all of our luck!