Inuyma- Little World

Back in Japan, we had a few days before John returned to work and 10 days before the kids went back to school. We were still pretty tired from our travels, but after a couple days of rest we were ready to do some exploring. On Jan 2 we bundled up and headed to Inuyama. It is only about a 30 minute drive from our home in Moriyama and I have explored a few different areas there on my own. I thought it would be a good low stress family day trip since I have been there and have an idea of what to expect. It was a super fun day! We planned to spend a few hours at Little World Museum of Man and then head to Inuyama Castle. But the kids enjoyed Little World so much that we ended up spending the entire there and only left because they were closing.

Little World is described as a museum, but it is much more than that. It is a huge park divided into sections that represent different parts of the world. Each area has traditional homes and buildings from that area that are filled with traditional furniture, tools and other objects. Some areas even have traditional clothing you can dress up in for a small fee. It was so cold that day that the kids weren’t interested in changing out of their warm clothes, but we will have to come in better weather for that. I did it when I came with a group of ladies and it was so fun! Most areas have shops where you can buy trinkets or snacks and restaurants that have foods from that country. Some even have activities, the boys chose to shoot a bow and arrow and cork guns.

Grant really enjoyed shooting the bow and arrow

The whole park is a big loop, so its very easy to get around and see everything. You can just look from the main path and move on or you can enter areas that interest you and get a more in depth look. At the beginning we stopped to look at everything, after a few hours we started doing a quicker look so we could try to see the whole thing. We stopped in Italy for lunch since there was a warm indoor area to get out of the cold and safe food for the kids. They had pizza and pasta. I had a yummy risotto with minestrone soup. I didn’t take many pictures because we were starving, but I got this one of Riley. She tried pasta with red sauce for the first time and loved it! (Side note: If you know her you know this is a big deal! She has been so willing to try new foods in Japan. We have struggled with her picky eating her whole life and food was my biggest fear about moving to Japan. She has amazed us all by branching out here and asking to try new things. It has been such a blessing!)

Then more exploring after lunch! We got a little flutter of snow, which was so fun. The kids have been hoping for snow. It wasn’t even enough to get a picture of but it was exciting!

The boys loved all the statues in the Thailand area! One of Grant’s best friends here is from Thailand. We are planning to take the kids to Thailand soon. John and I went in 2019 and it was where I fell in love with traveling. We thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip, which it was, but it unlocked a love of exploring and experiencing cultures that changed our lives. It will always have a special place in my heart.

So much to see! Riley was very intrigued by this Owl Garden. We saw a Native American area, Switzerland, France, and Korea, Africa, Istanbul and various areas of Japan.