Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos

Zak invited us to join him and his family for some fun at the BørneLund here in Kyoto. It's a combination kids play area and toy store that we'd been to a few times, but until today, only for its store. (It's where Anthony picked out his birthday present when he turned four.)

It was much more fun than I would have expected.

BørneLund is a Japanese company whose primary business is the import of expensive toys, mostly from Europe. Their name looks like a Swedish name that apparently means “nickel and dime you to death”. Their shop has a very small play zone for kids that costs 600 yen/hour for the kid, 200 yen/hour for the non-optional adult, and (if you don't want to carry your stuff around) coin lockers for 100 or 200 yen. You can, surprisingly, use the bathroom for free.

But it turned out to be quite worth it, especially when he could enjoy it with four-year-old friend Gen. They had a great time.

It's amazing how much they packed into a small location. The “room-of-balls” was the largest I'd ever seen...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
I'm Sinking!

There was much roughhousing, which eventually turned into a snowball fight....

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Letting Him Have It
With Both Barrels

Apparently not knowing I was not an enemy, their ball-throwing aggregation turned toward me in the form of a “aim for the camera” game...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 2800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wild Frenzy

I, er, would have thought that my big 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (with lens hood) would have afforded me more protection from the barrage than it did. Ouch.

There was a huge version of the “Tractor Treader” blow-up gerbil wheel that he played with at my folks' place, and he and Gen enjoyed it often...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gen Having a “Dr. Who” Moment

Then there was the Bounce Room of Yellow, which opened the post...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
What Little Boys Are Built For

There were also occasional postings of good, common-sense advice...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Good Advice

There was a whole “grocery store” setup, with plastic food and a big cash register...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sweaty Commerce Play

I sent Zak a few of my photos with his family in them, and he posted some of them on his blog.

I have another 50 photos from the hour we spent there that I'd like to post. Sigh, I still have a ton of fun photos to post from the last time these two went to a play zone together, the City of Otsu's “Yumekko” Play Land nine months ago. I seem to produce photos I want to post at about 100× faster than I can post them. Maybe I need to raise my posting standards to cut down on the backlog....