Training Grounds

Today a couple of friends and I took our kids to a large park here in Ota.  The park is notable for two things: 1) there are castle ruins (yes, an actual castle) close by and 2) a large part of the park is totally a Ninja Warrior training ground.

If you haven't watched Ninja Warrior (or rather, Niiinnnnjaaaa Warrrrriorrr!!!!), it's pretty awesome.






At any rate, there was a TON of equipment in this park.  You can see hills in the background of the photos below ---there is a chairlift-type thing and a huge slide that goes down one hill.  There's an amphitheater and a cafeteria and a section for tiny kids....

But mostly....it's a Ninja Warrior course.  There were teenage boys totally pretending to compete.

bizarro climbing thingies (chairlift to the left up the hill)

this is some full on Ninja Warrior right here...the thing in the middle
background is a suspended log walk

the white things are inflated trampoline-type things that you bounce on

a lot of playground equipment (you can kind of see the hill slide in the middle)




And yes, one day this spring I hope to return and hike to the castle ruins, so keep an eye out for that adventure. 

Updated 3/21/13: The park is called Gunma Kodomo-no-Kuni which is Gunma Children's Land/Country although I've also heard it called Kodomo-no-Shiro which is Children's Castle.