9 May 2010

It was sunny but the wind had shifted to the east so we had a welcome cooler breeze and drier air, though the thermometer was at 27C at 3pm.


We took a ride over to Odaiba on the boat; always a fun experience even after so many trips now. There is just so much to point out on the way there. We took a picnic and ate it in the shade as it was too uncomfortable in the sun and anyway a burn risk for Nick and Emily. I got my first mozzie bites of this year, and was surprised as I thought they needed warmth and humidity to breed, which have been in short supply until now.




Walking on round the bayside park we stopped when we reached the pirate boat play area, where Emily clambered around happily for some time. As soon as I pointed out the nearby splash pool though, she couldn't wait to get in with the other kids. I'm not sure if the water feature was designed with kids' fun in mind or just as an ornamental piece, but it was very popular with the many children there. I liked it as the water was only ankle deep and the surface not at all slippery (important by the afternoon as if Emily falls when tired it invariably ends in floods of tears). Nick and I took it in turns to play there with her.



I'm sure she would have gladly stayed there a lot longer but we didn't want to leave it too late to make our way home. I will certainly take her there again in warmer weather.

We went home via the Yurikamome line, and again managed to get front seats in the cab-less train. As we crossed Rainbow Bridge I saw people walking across and decided to try a new running route taking in the bridge crossing that very same evening.


I got a bit lost trying to find the way to access the bridge but eventualy worked out how to get to it. I felt ashamed taking the lift to the 7th floor to start the crossing but could not see where the stairs were. The bay area looked great from up there, after dark, with lights shimmering on water. I was not worried about personal safety as there were many cars going by on the double-decker road and it was fairly well lit. Having gone one way using the north-facing path I then crossed over to the south side for the return. It was a long steady pull uphill to the crest of the bridge, from near sea-level to 58 metres. As in the last few runs I felt very strong though. On the way home traffic lights were against me so I detoured along Kaigandori and came across a great-looking playground with a big wooden boat and what looked like a water feature. I resolved to take Emily there next day as you can never have too many options when it comes to playgrounds and jidokans.