108
Smile
May2016
CebuPacific flies toTokyo
(Narita) fromManilaandCebu.
cebupacificair.com
Urayasu,ChibaPrefecture) isaccessiblevia
theMaihamastationon theJRMusashino
andJRKeiyo lines.Alternatively, youmay
takedirectbuses fromvariouspoints in
Tokyo.Visit thewebsite fordetails.
Getoffthebeatenpath
Ifyouhave time, takeyour tiny tot to the
non-touristyneighborhoodofYotsuya in
thesouth-easternpartofShinjuku,where
twoof themainattractionsare theFire
Museumand theTokyoToyMuseum.
TheFireMuseum tracks thehistoryof
fireservice inJapan, acountry that’shad
its fairshareof raging infernos, suchas the
deadlyfire tornado triggeredby theGreat
Kantoearthquake in1923 that razeda large
partofdowntownTokyo.Thereareplenty
offireenginesandhelicoptersexhibited
here, and if thatdoesn’tcatchyour little
one’s fancy, then thefilmsshowingand
modelsondisplaysurelywill.PeelingZiv
away from themuseum involvedsome form
ofbribery, and ifyoumanage toconvince
yourkid todo thesame, takea10-minute
walk to theTokyoToyMuseum.Housed
in the formerShinjukuKuritsuYotsuya
ElementarySchool are traditional,mainly
wooden toys fromJapanandotherparts
of theworld.More than10,000 toysare
dividedbycategoryanddisplayed in
10playroomsacross threefloors. Staff
members, alsoknownascuratorsor toy
consultants, areonstandby inall therooms
to teachkidshow toplaywithcertain items.
Themuseum isn’t justanice
environment foryourkids toplay inor
alongside localkids; it’salsoagoodspot for
parents torest.WhileZivwasbusybeinga
kid,myhusbandand Igotachance to takea
peek into the livesof locals.
Essential info:
TheFireMuseumand
TokyoToyMuseumcanbeaccessedvia
theYotsuya-Sanchomestationon the
MarunouchiLine.Themainentrance to
theFireMuseum (tfd.metro.tokyo.jp/ts/
museum.html) isat levelB1of thestation.
It isopen from9.30am to7pmTuesday
throughSunday, andonnationalholidays.
Entry is free.
TheTokyoToyMuseum (goodtoy.org/
ttm) isopen from10am to4pm fromFriday
toWednesday.Achild-and-adultpair ticket
costs¥1,200.
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Tryingout toysat theTokyoToyMuseum
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Monsters, Inc
and
ToyStory
charactersall litup for
the
TokyoDisneylandElectrical ParadeDreamlights
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Oneof theantique fire trucksat theFireMuseum
PHOTOSBY
KATMATEO
Getmore tipson traveling toTokyowithyourkidsat
waytogo.
cebupacificair.com
Kid-certified family fun
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