Who would of thought that children's playgrounds in Tokyo could be so fantastic...

Children's parks in the Tokyo area can be really fabulous.  Suginami Children's Traffic Park  (杉並児童交通公園（すぎなみじどうこうつうこうえん）is a great example.  This park is located about 45-minutes by car from central Tokyo and is part of the Zenpukuji Gawa Green Tract of Land and Wadabori Park. 

The really unique feature of this park is the traffic park.  There are bicycles and peddle go-carts.  Best part is that the bikes and carts are free!  Just provide your contact details, address and telephone number on a slip of paper and your off.

The play area in the middle of the traffic park looks like it was inspired by Tokyo Station. There's a central traffic circle with a fountain in the center, but it appears that the fountain hasn't been used in several years.  The cycling course connects to a larger path along the river.

There's also an area for toddlers to play.

Plum Blossoms, Trains and Traffic in Setagaya Koen

The family returned to Setagaya Park (世田谷公園) this weekend. It's located on the outskits of central Tokyo near Sangengaya station.

I spotted my first plum blossoms of 2011 here. There were several different varieties and colors planted. However, I couldn't get a good angle on the pink ones so you'll just have to enjoy these white flowers.

The plum blossoms were located around a minature / model SL train that you ride.  Some had told me that these trains used to be actually steam powered.  For safety and efficiency, it seems that they are now electric and only appear to be steam locomotives.

It may sound strange to tell your children to play in the traffic, but there's also a traffic play area for children in this park. The goal is to learn the rules of the road while playing. There are ten three wheel pedal cars for the kids to drive around. The street lights and crossing signals are fully functional. The street signs and cross walks are all there too.  The trick is to get the young drivers to follow the road rules.