Traditional Japanese toys

What do you think of when you think of Japanese toys? Recently, high quality capsule toys have become popular. However, there are traditional toys in Japan. You can feel the Japaneseness of them, and there are many types. This page introduces four traditional Japanese toys.

1. Tako (Kite)

2. Koma

3. Origami

4. Kendama

5. Conclusion

1. Tako (Kite)

Tako is a toy that floats in the sky. Put paper or cloth on the frame of wood or bamboo, pull the string and put it on the wind. If you are new to this, it may be difficult.

Tako comes in a variety of shapes and pictures. It comes in a variety of sizes, some of which are very large. This can be seen at the festival.

2. Koma

Koma is a toy that is rotated using a string. It is conical in shape and has an axis. Wrap a string around this axis and release it vigorously to rotate it. This looks beautiful when rotated.

Beigoma is Koma to play against. Collide each other’s Koma in the field, you win if you push your opponent out or rotate for a long time. This is very exciting!

3. Origami

Origami is a play of folding paper to make a shape. Therefore, no specific toys are needed. However, there are so many ways to play that there is no end to it. There are many colorful patterned papers for origami in Japan. Of course, you can play with ordinary paper. A typical origami is a crane. Would you like to actually play?

4. Kendama

Kendama is a toy on which a ball with a hole is placed or stabbed. There are various tricks, and some are very difficult. So I’m happy when I can do difficult tricks. And Kendama has become a worldwide performance. Kendama outside Japan has a stylish design. Take a look at Kendama performance.

5. Conclusion

There are many other traditional toys in Japan. I would be happy if you could learn about Japanese culture through these toys. It may be good to play analog once in a while. If you read this article and find a toy that interests you, try it. It’s also a good souvenir from Japan.