Visiting Japan's first theme park : Spa Resort Hawaiians

 

Iwaki, the city where we live, was once a popular coal mining town. The Joban coalfield was Japan’s biggest source of coal between 1870s-1960s and this was the reason Iwaki developed into an industrial town. The Joban railway line was also built for coal haulage. After the WW II, oil became the predominant source of energy which led to the closure of the coal fields Iwaki’s coal mining history is commemorated by the Iwaki City Coal and Fossil Museum. The abundant hot springs in Iwaki’s Yumoto region which were previously troublesome for the coal miners, were instead developed to form the Joban Hawaiian Centre with a Hawaiian theme. 

The Joban Hawaiian centre was inaugurated on 15^th January 1966 and holds the distinction of being Japan’s first theme park. In 1990, the Joban Hawaiian centre was renamed Spa Resort Hawaiians. The resort remains Iwaki’s most visited attraction till today.

The current resort is divided into 5 sections :Water Park, Spa garden Pareo, Spring Park, Edo Jawa Yoichi and Vir Port. 

Water Park is the main area comprising indoor pools and water slides for all ages. 

Wai Wai Ohana is a children’s play area. 

The three main water slides : Wonder Black, Wonder River and Wonder Horn are also located in the Water Park. 

Separate tickets need to be purchased for the Water slides. Also located in the water park is the beach theater, a dance stage where various performances and shows are held at regular intervals. The temperature is maintained at 28 deg C all year round. 

Spa Garden Pareo is an outdoor water park area with outdoor pools, Jacuzzi and saunas .

Spring Park is a hot spring area with the water being sourced from the Yumoto onsen. One area features  warm indoor pools where both men and women can bathe in swim suits in common pools. This area is designed with a southern European theme.

The other area has gender separated indoor baths where swim suits are not allowed. 

Edo Jawa Yoichi  area is built in typical Japanese onsen style reminiscent of the Edo period. The hot spring bath here is gender separated and is said to be the  largest single outdoor bath in Japan.
In Vir Port guests can experience Hawaiian dance lessons or aqua exercises. One can also get massages or aesthetic salon services in this areas for additional cost.   

The resort’s most famous attraction is a Hawaiian dance performance by its Dance troupe, “Hula Girl”. At the time of the opening of the resort, the management decided to create it’s own troupe rather than inviting an outside troupe. Initially 18 employee’s daughters were trained to perform the hula dance. The 2006 critically acclaimed film “Hula Girl” was based on the founding of the resort. The Grand Polynesian Show in the evening is the highlight of a visit to the resort. 

  

This show features dances and music from various Polynesian cultures- Maoris of New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Samoa. Guests and children can also dance on stage with the Hula girls for a few minutes during the show. 

Accomodation is available at Hotel Hawaiians and Monolith Tower located in the resort complex.

The resort attracts people from all over Japan and can be crowded in peak summer. The resort was crowded on the day of our visit on a Sunday in July. The three rides Wonder River, Wonder Horn and Wonder River had long queues.  

The resort was damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and had to be partially closed down for some time. After repairs and renovation, the resort was reopened on 8^th February 2012. In the aftermath of the disaster, the complex provided shelter to evacuees from the nearby town of Hirono. During the period the resort was closed, the Hula girl troupe travelled across Japan and performed road shows at about 100 locations which included temporary shelters for quake and tsunami evacuees.

Address: 50, Warabidaira, Joban Fujiwara-machi, Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture

Phone: 0246-43-3191

Admission fees: 3150 yen (Adult) ; ( Rates may vary on weekdays, peak period and  
                       according to age)

Water park fees: Water slides and rides are separately charged and not included in the   

                           admission ticket. Check website for more details.

Parking: Ample Free parking available

Free shuttle buses operate from the Iwaki Yumoto station.

Timings: 9:30-22:30 ( Varies on weekend and as per season)

Website: http://www.hawaiians.co.jp ( Japanese only)

Entrance Ceremony: Beginning of a New School Year

Come April and lot of changes take place in Japan. Almost anything new and important begins on or after 1^st April. The arrival of spring also marks the beginning of the new fiscal year and also the beginning of a new school year.

Back in my country, the beginning of the school year is not marked by any ceremony. In Japan, however the new school year is marked with a special “Entrance” ceremony. Personally I liked this concept as students look forward to the beginning of the new academic year and it is always good to make the first day enjoyable, especially for new students who would otherwise be slightly nervous on their first day in a new setting.  

Entrance ceremonies are usually held across Japan in early April. These ceremonies are held in all schools- right from Kindergartens to High School. In kindergartens, these ceremonies are called “Nyuuenshiki” while in Elementary to High schools these are called “Nyuugakushiki”.

Typically these ceremonies are held in the school gym and are attended by the students and their families. The children dress in their school uniforms while parents dress formally. Few parents also dress up in their colourful kimonos. Some times grandparents also participate in the Entrance ceremony.In a typical ceremony, the old students and the parents are seated in the gym and the new students march in to a round of applause, welcoming them. The principal of the school then addresses the gathering, with encouraging words for the students. Then the homeroom teachers are introduced. Then PTA members or other teachers/ student representatives may also make short speeches. The ceremony ends with the students singing the school song. After this the students are led to their new classrooms by their teachers who then brief the students about the various activities lined up in year ahead. Commemorative class pictures are then taken which marks the end of the first day of the school. 

This week, we too attended an “Nyuuenshiki”- entrance ceremony at our daughter’s kindergarten. Her school is managed by a Buddhist temple and the entrance ceremony here includes certain Buddhist rituals. 

The school gym podium had a Buddhist altar in the centre. 

At one end was a wooden Elephant with a small Buddha statue on it.  

At the entrance to the gym, scrolls carrying names of each the students in calligraphy were put up.

The ceremony began with the principal and three children dressed in traditional attire walked up the podium, bowed before the altar, placed flowers and lit candles. 

This was followed by everyone bowing in prayer. Then the principal made a speech welcoming the students to a new year. Then a Buddhist priest addressed the gathering and said encouraging words to the children.

 This was followed by all the children singing the school song. The Japanese course students sang in Japanese while the International course students sang in English. After this the homeroom teachers and the English teachers were introduced. 

The school bus drivers were also introduced. Then two priests walked up the podium for the blessing ritual. The children walked up to the podium and each one was blessed with sprinkling of holy water. 

Then a PTA member addressed the gathering. After this the ceremony concluded and the children were led to their classrooms by their teachers, followed by their parents. The children played in their playrooms, while the teachers briefed the parents about the year ahead. Activity calendar for the year, important announcements and the bus schedules were handed out. After this we all walked back to the gym where commemorative group picture of the students,teachers and parents were clicked. After this we all went home, the children bidding goodbye to their friends, enthusiastic about going back to school the next day.  

Our 5 year old daughter, attends the International course at a local Kindergarten (Kuhonji Kindergarten in Iwaki city) and it is an interesting mixture of Japanese and International (basically American) education. The children get to learn both Japanese culture and language along with English and western culture. End of the day, she (and through her, we) gets to learn a lot about Japanese customs, traditions, festivals and language along with improving her English.