Today we were going to Edo Wonderland, aka the ninja theme park. But first, breakfast! The empty plate is for the fish again. There was also tofu, soup, and yogurt.
This was the kids’ meal. They also got eggs and sausage. The white cup to the left is natto (fermented soybeans). Do Japanese kids really eat this stuff? It must be an acquired taste. DH ate both the kids’ natto because he eats everything.
We then headed across the street to the Fujiya Kanko Center to catch the free bus to Edo Wonderland. We were surprised to see no pedestrian crosswalks, but then we found the underground walkways. As I was getting on the bus, the driver asked me if we had tickets – we didn’t yet since I was planning to buy it at the gate. He said “I have a good idea”, and had me follow him into the Fujiya Kanko Center to buy tickets. It was even cheaper than with the 10% off coupon online (4000 yen for adults, 2000 yen for children if I remember right, 5 and under is free). Problem was – cash only! I knew that the ticket counter at Edo Wonderland would accept credit cards, but I thought we needed them to ride the bus. Once I got on the bus and thought about it, I realized that the bus driver just wanted to save us money (we saved about 600 yen total). So now we were seriously short on cash! I really should have exchanged more money back in Asakusa, there was a bank right nearby the hotel, but just got too caught up with everything else.
The bus driver was actually super nice, he circled on the map all the things we should see. First we went to the Karasu Yashiki Ninja show. It’s in an Edo period house and the seating was on benches. The show was about a ninja with a very important scroll and bad guy ninjas trying to steal it. There was sword fighting and the ninja hiding behind a secret compartment in the wall only to reappear out of another compartment elsewhere. The show atmosphere was very intimate, a little intense, and at one point it went completely dark. I thought it was pretty cool, maybe too intense for DD but she was okay. We also saw the show at the Grand Ninja Theater. This was more a typical theater environment, so less intense being more removed from the action. It’s a bigger production with 2 good ninjas and lots of bad guy ninjas (a bunch of minions and one head honcho). It’s about a ninja (who happened to be a woman, but it didn’t seem pertinent to the plot) who paid another ninja for a scroll. The bad guys then come and try to kill her to get it. The ninja who gave her the scroll comes back and helps her. The two fight all the bad guys, eventually killing the head honcho. It had a lot of sword fighting and ninja acrobatics. The last show we saw was the water show, Mizugei-za. Seating was on the floor and it was performed by ladies (I don’t think they’re geisha?). Streams of water came out of the edges of paper fans, knife blades, cups, flowers, lights, and even from someone’s forehead. It was also tossed and passed from one hand to another and also between the ladies. I kept trying to see where the water came from (very thin tubes?). The park map says that Edo people enjoyed this art form – I’m surprised how they could do this without modern technology!
We also went in the Karakuri Ninja Maze, which is a maze but with a ninja twist. It has walls that are really panels you can slide open. Of course, you have to figure out which ones are the trick walls. Somehow DH led us out. 
Then we went into the Kai Kai Ninja House. It’s a house that is all slanted and the floors are all slanted. We walked in, going through a hallway with slanted floors. Once in the house, I felt like I was standing at a 45 degree angle. It was the weirdest feeling. Then a minute later, I start feeling like I’m going to tip over! I quickly left the house. DH and the kids stayed a little longer and felt fine. I guess I’m not cut out to be a ninja!
There are different Edo period snacks around the park. I tried the grilled soy sauce mochi (rice cake) – it was very good! I would have had another if we hadn’t been so cash poor. 
I don’t think the snack places take credit cards, although I didn’t ask. I would have felt weird using a credit card to pay 500 yen.
Lunch was cold soba noodles (the sit down restaurants take credit cards). The dipping sauce is in the covered cup at the bottom. The bowl is grated mountain yam. It’s sticky and kind of slimy, but I like it. We also ordered a soba with tempera and a plain one for the kids to share. Total came to 3600 yen. Everything was yummy and great for a hot day.
Some pictures from around the park:
This is an Edo period hotel. The dog is the park’s mascot Nyan-mage.
We were waiting for the bus. This was part of the closing ceremony at the entrance.
The last 2 buses leaving Edo Wonderland only go to JR Nikko station and not back to Fujiya Kanko Center. We took the very last bus and it was the same super nice driver. I thought I’d just double check that he wasn’t going back to Fujiya Kanko. Surprisingly, he said he would make a “special stop” for us! I was so grateful! Especially because I was only 95% (?) sure we had enough money left for the bus….
When we got back to the ryokan, I went to the front desk to ask if the post office was open tomorrow (Saturday). I explained that I needed to exchange money. He wasn’t sure and asked me to wait. When he came back, the answer was no. Bank open? No. 7-11 nearby? No, but there’s a Lawson. I wasn’t sure if the ATMs at Lawson take foreign ATM cards. I thanked him and went back to the room to do some serious Googling. I had hardly started when there was a knock on our door. It was the same guy and he told me that the Nikko Kanaya Hotel does foreign currency exchange. He gave me a map and circled where it was. I was so grateful and relieved!
Dinner pictures:
The kids’ meal, DH and I ate the sashimi again.
Travels with 2 Kids 