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Theresa O’Connor / Treasa Ní Chonchúir

A large, blue Loch Ness Monster-or-maybe-Brontosaurus-looking monster with a yellow mohawk stands in front of a wooded river valley.
I’m on Team Edward, obvi.

Moominvalley Park, 飯能 (Hannō)

Part of our

We left reluctantly—it’s truly a lovely city, and one of my happy places—but were excited for the second leg of our trip.

We took のぞみ（Nozomi） 80 to 品川駅（Shinagawa Station）, and then the 山手線（Yamanote Line） to 池袋駅（Ikebukuro Station）, where we met up with Mike, Naoko, and their kids. Then we all went on a mini vacation-within-our-vacation to Moominvalley Park in Hanno, a city in 埼玉県（Saitama Prefecture）. The theme park is inside Metsä, a hard-to-describe Nordic-themed vacation spot.

Two middle-aged people are sitting next to each other. They’re both smiling at the camera.
It’s always lovely to see Mike.

Zen, Erin, and Mui are all very close in age to one another, and they pretty quickly became friends. And Mila, Mike and Nao’s youngest, really took a shine to Erin too. It was so fun to watch the four of them navigate language barriers while getting to know each other.

Two children hold hands while crouching on a street.
Two children hold hands while walking down the street.
One child pushes a stroller on which another child sits.
Three children hold hands as they approach the top of a stairway. The youngest child is in the middle.
Two children hold hands while riding up an escalator.
Two children hold hands while riding up an escalator.
Four children sit together, two per row, on a bus.

We stayed in two different Japanese-style hotels while there. At the first one, Erin had her own room. All three of us shared a 畳tatami room and slept on 布団futon at the second one.

A hotel room with a tatami mat floor. There are three futons on the floor.

We spent a whole day at the park. We saw a short play, we toured a life-size Moominhouse, the kids played in a ball pit, and Mila-chan met one of the Moomins. Zen and EJ spent a bunch of time exploring the small stream that runs through the park; unfortunately, Erin fell into the water near the end of our visit, which soured her a bit for the rest of the evening.

Within a model of a wooded valley, a cut-away model of a circular, four storey house stands. Within the house are various white blobular creatures—Moomins—engaged in various activities.
Within a model of a wooded valley next to mountains, a blue, four storey circular house stands.
The same model as in the previous photo, but it’s lit for nighttime. The windows of the house are lit up with interior lighting.
A child smiles at the camera. There is a plush Moomin clipped to their hair.
Five pink balloons and one yellow one are arranged to resemble a flower. The balloons are hung on a tree.
A child poses with a statue of a gray, blobular creature.
A large, three storey tree house stands behind some trees.
A hollowed-out wooden sign hangs from ropes. The sign depicts a pier, and a small tower at the end of the pier.
An adult and four children stand at a fence. They are all facing away from the camera, toward a lake visible beyond the fence.
Two children scramble over rocks that cross a small stream.
There is a small circular building with a very pointed roof at the end of the pier. Two children stand in front of the building. One is holding up a hand in a victory gesture. ✌
A side profile close-up of a child sitting in some kind of rope or wicker chair. The child has dirty blond hair and is sporting a neutral expression on their face.

Our return to the bus was slower than our walk to the park in the morning—everybody was a bit tired after a long day of fun.

Three adults and four children walk along a paved path among trees decorated with colorful balloons. Some are holding hands. Everybody looks a bit tired.

We had planned to go on some nice hikes on the second day, but it was very rainy. So, instead, we headed to 東京あそびマーレ（Tokyo Asobi Mare）, an extensive indoor play facility, and the kids had an absolute ball. (The parents, somewhat less so.)

Two children play in a pool full of white, blue, and green balls. One is lying face-down, while the other is kneeling.
A child sits on a large unicorn riding toy.
A smiling girl holds a bottle of flavored iced tea next to her head.
This is the best tea ever!!!

There was even a cold room with a bunch of snow to play in!

Two crouching children dig in the snow with green plastic shovels.

Erin’s really gotten into Pokémon lately, and had a lot of fun playing a Pokémon arcade game with Mila-chan (with some help from Mike).

Two children and one adult are holding pokéballs and watching a video screen depicting a pink Pokémon standing in a grassy field.
Two children and one adult are throwing pokéballs at a video screen depicting a grassy field.

Erin did surprisingly well with various meals along the way, and throughout the trip for that matter. She was game to try a lot of different Japanese foods, though she did refuse some things.

Several small plates of food sit on a table with a green tablecloth.
A child holds a spoon while looking down at many small plates and bowls of food in front of them.
A tray bears many small plates and bowls of food. Salad, soup, rice, vegetables, and fish dishes are all visible.

Then it was back to Tokyo for the last leg of our trip.