Kids Plaza キッズプラザ
Playgrounds at Kids Plaza.
Credit: DR
"The City of Children" is the true wonder of the museum.
Credit: DR
Learning is fun
Half-museum, half-playground, Kids Plaza seems to be a paradise for children.
Touch, try and play... Children love to pretend to be adults, to do things that many would consider trivial but which children see as great adventures. To grow up is to own and accumulate knowledge. Children know that very well thanks to all the times they have been told "you'll understand when you grow up." Kids Plaza is a boon for young people and gives them the answers to many of their questions. What sound do intestines make? How are bones arranged in the human body? These questions are resolved on the fifth floor of the huge building, in the discovery area. In a fun and interactive way, activities are proposed to initiate all ages to the secrets of science and culture. In one corner you can even try musical instruments from around the world!
Play to learn how to live in society
As the attention of the younger ones cannot be kept indefinitely, on the fourth floor, the adventure area gives them the chance to let off some steam. "The Children's City" is the true wonder of the museum. Everything has been thought out to play adults roles in junior size. From postman to plumber, as well as doctor, policeman or combini sales assisant (small Japanese supermarket open 24 hours), there is something for everyone. The kids are adorable when taking their job seriously, one delivering letters and parcels through the city and another selling sushi and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes in the Osaka Region). A beautiful structure, the city was decorated by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000).
The Magic Roundabout
A great way to teach kids to wait or share, as toys are freely accessible and often taken by storm. To stimulate their creativity, on the third floor Kids Plaza organizes artistic expression workshops with smiling and friendly staff which, despite the language barrier, guide children in their creative project, whether it by making a character in modeling clay or drawing the adventure of their dreams. Constantly renewed, museum activities change with the seasons and there is always a special event to take part in. The children emerge delighted and the parents are pleased not to have had to to deploy a wealth of inventiveness to occupy them.
