Indoor playgrounds are proving a godsend for parents looking to allow their children to stay active and safe as Japan sweats through a summer of record-breaking heat.

Parents are turning to playgrounds in air-conditioned shopping centers and other commercial enterprises when they would typically use public spaces outdoors.

"I fear the danger of heatstroke in the park," said a young mother who brought her 2-year-old boy to the Kid-O-Kid indoor playground in Yokohama on a weekday afternoon in late July.