The Park with the Roller Slide

There was a park on a high hill with a peculiar slide near our home. [see THIS POST]. Walking over there I remembered it was to the right, but it was really to our left. We walked around just a little bit too much, but with some directions from a local fellow and my recovering memory, we found the park.

During our year in Osaka, I had come in second in a rock/paper/scissors tournament at this park held by Senri Newtown Baptist Church (see last post) during a Saturday cookout and fellowship. I had noticed that all the Japanese ladies were giving the "scissors", and so I would challenge them and give the "rock" sign. I worked my way up to the final, when I was surprised that my new opponent gave the "paper" sign and defeated me. I couldn't understand why my rock algorithm had failed! Well, it turns out, she was a Filipino international student, and not Japanese at all.




The park had a roller slide, and it also had a three story tower with a great view southward toward Osaka proper. (we lived in the northernmost suburb). Frances was tired from the climb up the hill, so she sat on a bench. The younguns got on the slide except for one fellow, SIL #1.

He went into the parking lot and began checking out all the exotic automobiles.




The roller slide had a series of two inch rollers similar to a factory assembly line or packing plant. The slide split into two paths that rejoined and was probably about 200 yards in length, running down hill through the trees, descending about 100 feet over that distance. Unfortunately, rolling down on the rollers generates quite a bit of heat, and the ride isnt smooth, so you need several layers of cardboard or something thick underneath you to make the ride bearable. A single or double layer of cardboard will give you a hot and worn fanny. Some experienced riders brought a shaped peice of plywood, which seemed to be optimal.






This young Japanese fellow and a couple others had been playing on the upper part of the slide, blocking riders and hopping from route to route, being a general nuisance, as only 9 year olds (or so) can. Someone complained (or informed) to one of the children's parents and two of the boys took off in quite a hurry. The one remaining boy, this one, I think, got a royal chewing out in public. I could not understand a word of what was said, but I understood every word of it. I wanted to take pictures of the scene, but after a moment of his humiliating public correction, the poor kid started crying, and I just couldn't bear to take his picture.


They are all smiling because they thought it was funny. (I am kidding)

Kita Senri - our home sweet home

One of our goals was to visit the Senri Newtown Baptist Church that we attended while we lived in Osaka. So, on Sunday morning, we rode the train to Kita Senri and hiked the couple of miles, mostly uphill, to the new location of the church. It had grown significantly since we were there. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the new church building. The service was similar to what we had been used to, with a translator providing the sermon play-by-play and color via headset. Except, it wasn't Nakano-san, for she had moved a year after we did, but one of her pupils instead.

We hiked from the church to Osaka International School, where the girls attended and made life-long memories, and several stories. Since it was Sunday, no one was there. Amanda and Wade stand outside the front door. After looking around, we started walking back through the old path we used to take to the school towards our old apartment.

From our apartment it was a 40 minute walk to the Osaka International School. Part of the walk wound through a little rural patch with a small primitive farm, a bamboo forest, several reservoirs, and past this Chinese style house. Rich Japanese do not flaunt their wealth in the same way rich Americans do. But we could tell the owners of the house (when we were living there) were wealthy, including the expensive cars in the driveway, and the unusually large yard. Since our time living there however, it had apparently been sold and appeared to have been converted into a funeral home. Most of the rest of the area was in the process of complete change, and a new neighborhood of homes was under construction.Amanda shows how she navigated the gates that keep motorcycles from going through the path. Bicycles can be lifted over the gates, but motorcycles cannot.



Japanese McDonalds was a treat. It has a different taste.


Our favorite (at the time) Japanese hamburger joint was Dom Dom. The Dom Dom was replaced in less than a year by McDonalds at Kita Senri. In the background, you can see the Peacock grocery store where I did most of the shopping during our term in Japan. Many great hours of mangled Japanese, pantomimes, bad food choices and searching for the elusive pepperoni.


SIL#2 rests after filling meal of McTeriyaki burgers.


Of all the place in Kita Senri, this location has perhaps more stories. We were all fond of the great donuts that the store sold, but it is likely that Amy was its most solid patron. She has endured a lot of teasing about her spending her lunch money and her bus money on Mr. Donut. Amy participated in all their sales promotions and brought home several small promotional towels that they gave out to their best customers. She gave me one, and I keep it in my closet as a prized possession and treasured memory.

Oh, those darn paparazzi. They follow Frances around everywhere.

From this pedestrian bridge I once fished out a stolen bicycle and walked it to the police box to turn in. I think they initially thought I had stolen it. Our church translator, Mrs. Nakano obtained a pink bicycle from another church lady and gave it to me. I rode that bike all over the area, exploring, going to the school, carrying groceries, and running errands until about a month before we left, when it was stolen from the bike rack at the apartment.

Here is the curbside of the apartment where we lived.

The small playground isn't as well maintained as it was 13 years prior.

Our apartment from the end of the building.

The younguns in a bamboo grove near our old home on the path to Osaka's Expo park.

A List of Barely Socratic Questions to American Progressives : The Current Truth

A List of Barely Socratic Questions to American Progressives : The Current Truth

Dancing Princesses

After leaving Osaka-Jo and eating yakisoba, we wandered upon these ladies dancing in a secluded portion of the park. A young woman with a curved sword (third from right) appeared to be leading the dancers and calling the shots. You can do that if you are the only one with a sword.






I have no idea what they were doing. Perhaps they are ladies auxiliary to the Kiwanis or Rotary Club.