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)