Yesterday I had the opportunity to chaperone the grade six class school trip to Tokachi Ecology Park about forty minutes away from Shikaoi by bus. The whole day, for all grades, was set aside for school trips. For my students this constituted an extremely good way to start the week. Other grades did different activities; some went on field trips, while the younger grades went to the zoo. It was not up to me which class I got to go with; which was fine with me because I was just happy to get a place on the bus. I always enjoy the company of the grade six class for several reasons. One reason being because they are very cool. (Or at the very least, they think they are cool.) I have come to know several of them quite well and treasure my time with them because they are growing up fast and I worry about the kind of world they are entering.
Our destination, the Tokachi Ecology Park, sits near the banks of the mighty Tokachi River and is close to the famous Tokachigawa onsen (hot springs). The park itself is only entering it's fourth summer and has collected quiet a reputation. After an easy 3 km hike to a spot over looking the area, we arrived at the park. I considered the day's weather perfect for such activities. It was partly cloudy all day, but at least this kept it from becoming too hot. Just as we were boarding the bus, it started to shower.
I won't bother describing every detail of the park because there was one thing that completely overwhelms my memory and makes for a nice blog entry. Much of everyone's time was spent on one of the most profound pieces of playground equipment I have ever seen - nor imagined. In fact, I am in awe of how the technology and creativity came together in someone's head to make such at thing.
The idea is simple - playful and fun in execution - the Fua Fua Dome. In essence, it's just a huge trampoline; but that description fails to do it justice. Made of a bouncy indestructible material, it's actual workings are hidden from the public, harnessing instead everyone's love of magic, imagination and childhood. The Fua Fua Dome is hard not to enjoy. It's hard not to crack a smile just taking a couple of steps onto the thing. It feels like a trampoline but what really boggles the mind is how such a huge area and steep inclines are kept evenly bouncy. There are endless amounts of games to be invented, but there is simple joy to be found in just jumping up and down, running around, and sliding down the sides. There are not too many ways one could hurt themselves on the Fua Fua Dome, everything is well absorbed and, because of the shape, there is nothing to fall off of. Still, my elbows and knees became pretty scraped up. The Fua Fua Dome has a strong reputation and upon arriving the grade sixes were off like bullets toward the structure as soon as their bags hit the ground. During lunch, we were joined by the grade fours and picnicked with them on the grass. And again after relaxing sunny lunch, students from both classes played on the dome, but because of its sheer size, no one felt crowded. Afterward my students lamented that the time had passed so quickly.
The scene from the highest point on the Fua Fua Dome was impressive; watching my students in something akin to joy, freedom and forgetfulness mixed together. I tried to get a shot from the top, as did the other teachers, but was thwarted by my students' attempts to bounce me to the bottom. A sharp picture in these conditions was impossible. Click the image below for a picture of the Fua Fua dome from the bottom.
There were other things to do. While there was no shortage of students at the Fua Fua Dome, many students played baseball and others couldn't resist the large wading pools; though the pools post-modern design probably didn't wear off on them. Make no mistake, jumping around for two hours is a lot of work and afterwards, my body and especially my legs, were rebelling.
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