[Yurihonjo, Akita Prefecture] “Wooden Toy Museum” uses the entire abandoned school! Access by “Toy Train”

In July 2018, the Chokaisan Wooden Toy Museum was opened in Yurihonjo City. This is a completely renovated wooden school building of the former Ayukawa Elementary School, which is a registered tangible cultural property of the country.

The museum is located along the tracks of the Yuri Kogen Railway, which is loved by train enthusiasts. For this reason, a ``toy train'' in partnership with this museum begins operating at the same time as the museum opens.

This time, we will introduce the Wooden Toy Museum, which is a new popular spot in Akita Prefecture, and the toy train that allows you to access it.

Children's laughter returns to closed school

The general image of a museum is a tranquil space where you can relax and browse. However, the Wooden Toy Museum is filled with things that children can enjoy playing with.

Of course, adults can also play as if they were children. It has become an irreplaceable place where children's voices have returned to a school that had been closed.

school itself

The toy museum is very big because the school is being renovated. It consists of three buildings that were school buildings (Buildings A to C) and a former gymnasium (Building D).

Buildings A and D are in the museum zone and there is a fee. Buildings B and C are open to the public free of charge.

Popular spots in the former gymnasium (Building D)

The most popular part of Building D is the "Mori no Asobiba". It's an interesting space with tree trunks standing all over the room. Both children and adults run around freely and play hide and seek.

A secret treasure is hidden inside the trunk. It's fun to search for this too.

There is a cute wooden caterpillar inside the hole.

There are also some that have small holes in their trunks. You can't really tell by looking into it, but you can find it by inserting a wooden stick with a magnet attached.

A wooden caterpillar is attached to the end of the stick. It's creepy when it's real, but it's cute when it's wood. It's interesting because there are quite a lot of them.

"Chokai Tower"

In the center of "Mori no Asobiba" is the "Choukai Tower", which can be called a landmark. It is built in the same format as Sazaedo, a famous tourist spot in Fukushima Prefecture.

It is a structure where the up and down sides do not intersect and cannot be seen from each other. In particular, there is a slide on the way down, and an acorn pool awaits you at the bottom. When it comes to acorn pools, some people worry that they will hurt because they have sharp points.

However, craftsmen carefully polish each piece one by one. The number of acorns is 5,000, and they are made from several different types of trees. Everyone is swimming happily.

"Kobeya of play"

Beyond the "Mori no Asobiba", there are 26 "Asobi-ya". Each Kobeya has a theme, such as "Toy Animals."

There are so many toys lined up in each room that if you go around 26 of them, you could spend the whole day just doing that.

The charm of the wooden toy museum

Yurihonjo City spent approximately 240 million yen to renovate the former Ayukawa Elementary School. The interior and even the toys used here are made from cedar and cypress from Akita Prefecture.

There are 800 wooden toys in total. The balance beam in the gymnasium is used as a bench, and children's books such as ``Complete Works of World Literature for Boys and Girls'' from the library are now on the bookshelf.

The structure of the school is kept intact.

Building A in particular has the school's own corridor extending, and the classrooms, staff room, broadcast room, and nurse's room are all still in use, making you feel like you've traveled back in time.

Enjoy local flavors at Kitchen Cafe

Many people enjoy lunch in the warm atmosphere of Akita cedar that has continued to shine for 60 years. There is also a kitchen cafe with a friendly atmosphere.

The most popular item here is the cutely named "Omusubi Kororin Set." This is a set that comes with a rice ball and ``Honjo Udon'' or ``Yurine Udon.''

The rice balls are cooked using local rice using a stove. Udon is made by mothers in the neighborhood. It's a place where you can enjoy local gourmet food.

Many adults remember school lunches because they eat them at school. Meals at the cafe start at 11:00 and the last order is 1:45 p.m., so if you miss lunch you won't be able to eat, so be careful.

Toy trains are very popular

In proportion to the popularity of the wooden toy museum, the Yuri Kogen Railway is also attracting more attention. We recommend taking this train to the nearest station, Ayukawa.

Originally, the Yuri Kogen Railway, a line nestled in Mt. Chokai, was loved by many people for its heartwarming atmosphere. In particular, with the opening of the Toy Museum, the Chokai Toy Train ``Nakayoshi Koyoshi'', which is a tie-up with the museum, began running in June 2018.

A train that looks like a toy box

This has fueled its popularity. The train has a distinctive contrast of white, orange, and gold, and is not a long train like the ones you see in Tokyo, so it is very compact and cute, making it a toy box-like train.

The interior of the train recreates the atmosphere of a wooden toy museum. It looks like it was made of building blocks. Everything from the panoramic chairs and tables to the small play space are made of wood.

Extraordinary feeling of being able to play in places where you can't play

Another feature is that there are wooden toys and a mini ball pool. Both adults and children can play with trains. Basically, people have the impression that trains are places where you can't have fun, so in that sense, it's refreshing.

The wood used inside the car is mainly solid wood that uses the original shape as it is. Therefore, it has a very gentle atmosphere and natural texture that is pleasing to the eye.

Summary about the Wooden Toy Museum

Museums that mainly deal with wooden toys are very rare, and they offer a wealth of content that you can enjoy all day long.

In particular, the museum uses its former classroom as it is to hold workshops on how to make your own chopsticks, which clearly shows the effort put into entertaining visitors.

Be sure to take a ride on the toy train and enjoy a gentle and fun day surrounded by the warmth of trees and the timeless school scenery.

Information

  • Name: Mt. Chokai Wooden Toy Museum
  • Address: 65-1 Narusedai, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture
  • Phone number: 0184-74-9070
  • Official URL: http://chokaisan-wtm.jp/

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