Sliding Down a Mountain Slide, In Style
desktop background image of roller-slide down a hill at Yamabiko-no-Mori in Takatsuki, Japan (山びこの森、大阪府高槻市) -- For a Quick and Colorful Descent 山びこの森 Mountains of northern Takatsuki, Japan -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/ -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 66mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
For a Quick and Colorful Descent
山びこの森
Mountains of northern Takatsuki, Japan
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View from the Top -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 140 — map & image datanearby photos
View from the Top
Picking up Speed -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/60 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Picking up Speed
Sudden Acceleration right before the end -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 180 — map & image datanearby photos
Sudden Acceleration
right before the end

We had a fun trip today to a small food/entertainment area in the mountains of northern Takatsuki City (高槻市), an hour or so west of Kyoto. The main objective that I'll post about another time (Update: here) was the picking of (and grilling of and eating) shiitake mushrooms (椎茸), but we also had fun at a play area that included a slide of rollers for 80m (260') down a hill.

UPDATE: for more information about visiting this slide, see this follow-up post.

From The Bottom -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
From The Bottom

It was wet and dirty, but YOLO, so we gave it a go.

Mere Seconds Before the End -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 2200 — map & image datanearby photos
Mere Seconds Before the End
Careening out of Control -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 1800 — map & image datanearby photos
Careening out of Control

I waited to catch Anthony at the bottom for his first run because the slide shoots you at high speed off its end, into what was today a wet mess of dirty dirt and painful gravel.

For his second run he said he could handle slowing himself down, so I watched him pass with the camera...

Seemingly In Control -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Seemingly In Control
One Second Later control has mostly vanished -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
One Second Later
control has mostly vanished
Splat less elegant than he planned -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos
Splat
less elegant than he planned
Wet and Rocky Mess -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos
Wet and Rocky Mess
Got Juuuust a Bit Dirty -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos
Got Juuuust a Bit Dirty
Sooo Worth It -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62mm — 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image datanearby photos
Sooo Worth It

For another run I positioned myself halfway...

Mini Jump where speed starts to increase quickly -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Mini Jump
where speed starts to increase quickly
Breakneck Speed -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
Breakneck Speed
(But Still Fun) -- 山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image datanearby photos
(But Still Fun)
山びこの森 -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/50 sec, f/2.8, ISO 110 — map & image datanearby photos

The rain picked up noticeably at this point, so we headed home.

This call to mind some other mountain/roller/slide things we've done in the past, most notably the Slippery Green Slidy Day of Fun at Bluma no Oka five years ago, and a big roller slide in Otsu.

Continued here...


All 10 comments so far, oldest first...

Very nice pictures, Jeffrey! They show the fun, which father and son had in the downhill.
Wish you and your family good luck.

— comment by Bernhard on November 4th, 2013 at 12:18am JST (10 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

Oooh ,natsukashii! That place is on my favorite riding loop when I lived in Takatsuki. I went out on that road, past the golf club almost to Kameoka, and then loop around and come back somewhat to the west, past all the concrete quarries, or whatever they were quarrying. Soo fast on the way back down. A lot of fun. Yoshiko did it on the tandem one time, I think.

— comment by Nils on November 4th, 2013 at 12:48am JST (10 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

Those things can accelerate kids (or adults!) to incredible speeds. Too bad they could never exist in America. Someone would get a boo-boo and sue the park for billions.

Ah, but such heady days did used to exist in The States: Action Park. —Jeffrey

— comment by Zak on November 4th, 2013 at 12:19pm JST (10 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

These pictures bring back fond memories of the rollerslide we visited in Kasai. I got a brush burn on my calf that took one year to fully heal. I also had a fantastic time trying to find bacitracin in still-very-country, Himeji.

That interplay between Japan modern and Japan rustic will never get old. Many an American child-of the-1970’s will get this phantom nostalgia when they visit certain parts of Japan. Its palpable and yet it seems misplaced since you didn’t grow up there. –I think its things like that mountain slide that remind us of a much less baby-proof America. Seriously, many an American parent goggles at even the Ramune bottle, not because of the marble and codd-neck design but because it’s made of glass and all that sugar. (The horror!)

Thanks for the photos. Good times! Good times!

— comment by Ron Evans on November 5th, 2013 at 12:55pm JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

I loved Action Park when I was growing up. My mom hated it she even payed for six flags so we wouldn’t go. Like the first image. The colors of the rollers go well with the rest of the scene.

— comment by Ed Pouso on November 7th, 2013 at 4:41pm JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Jace loves this slide and wants to go there! It looks so fun!

— comment by Ly Doan on November 18th, 2013 at 3:13am JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Thanks for these great pictures Jeffrey! I’m going to (try to) build one of these in my backyard, and your pics are as close to plans as I can get. I assume the rollers are bamboo, looks like they’re divided for independent rolling, and I think there’s very little space between (to prevent catching fingers). I’m a little worry about that last point — boy these need to be close together or you’re gonna catch fingers / clothes / etc.

But, worth a go!

Yes, close together. I believe they’re metal… maybe plastic, but definitely not bamboo! That would be painful. —Jeffrey

— comment by chris on May 4th, 2016 at 11:45am JST (7 years, 11 months ago) comment permalink

I can’t seem to find any information about this slide. Do you have an address or place I can look up so I can find this slide?

The link to the location is in the first paragraph (and here). The slide is an inconsequential part of the operation, but it’s seen in passing in photos on this sub page. —Jeffrey

— comment by Chris on October 3rd, 2016 at 4:06am JST (7 years, 6 months ago) comment permalink

Hello, beautifull slide. I would like to make such one in our forest. Were die you fine those roling system? Can we make them ourselves?
Thans you for your answer, Erik , Brussels, Belgium

I have no idea, sorry, but a web search for “roller slide” in your language will be a good start. —Jeffrey

— comment by Erik on October 20th, 2016 at 10:20pm JST (7 years, 5 months ago) comment permalink

I went to a much smaller one today and took note of the manufacturer, with whom I have no affiliation. It is Ohkubo in Okayama. I googled their web page. No affiliation.
http://www.ohkubo-taiki.co.jp/roller/01.html
I don’t know if they made the one you are using here but it looks similar. Fun. I would like to go to Takatsuki just to try the slide.

— comment by Timothy Takemoto on June 13th, 2018 at 3:29pm JST (5 years, 9 months ago) comment permalink
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