A Relaxing Space where Parents and Children Can Play with Wooden Toys

There are bakeries, tart shops, general stores, used clothing shops and so on in the foreign residence area in Minatogawa, Urasoe, which is a popular spot for young kids to gather.

Among the shops there is an entrance that draws attention to itself; it is Casa Machilda which is a place where parents and children can play with wooden toys in a carefree manner.
 
When you open that door there are heaps of pure wooden toys. The children’s eyes light up as they pick up toys as they please. The mothers playing with them also have gentle expressions.
 
When you come here you can feel the attraction that wooden toys have.

You feel the warmth when you touch it; no matter how you play it has pure color; the smell of the forest wafts around; and when the wood hits on wood gives of a comfortable clip-clop sound.

When you touch the wood, without knowing it a strange smile come on you face.

All you need to play is imagination.
 
The owner Yoshiko Tsuchiya told us that the simplicity you feel when you first look at pure wood toys draws out imagination and a wide range of ages, from children to adults, can play with them.

If you use you imagination, people of different ages can play together and so siblings with years between them can have fun too.  

You have to take off your shoes, so I recommend it for crawling babies as well.
 
You can make vehicle, animals and food.
The wooden toys made from Okinawa lumber remnants, it can allow children to make full use of their imagination.  
 
In the dollhouse there are a lot of small toys.

Tsuchiya wanted to children to play with wooden toys that were close to true nature when she decided to make this space.

Children can play freely with their thoughts. It is not the loveliness from the child’s point of view but it wonderful as an adult. From that point of view it can be said you chose wooden toys.

Tsuchiya wants to pass on the important thought of not using and throwing away but playing with something for a long time.

There is also a shop so you can buy toys as well.

Whether a car made from Okinawan wood, the Okinawan instrument the sanshin made from wood remnants, castanets or a pincushion, they all make excellent souvenirs. 

 Once month on the second Thursday, there is “Plant Play Club”.

Local elderly ladies talk while Okinawan plants are being while played with plant and seems like it could leave amusing memories.

On that day they made pinwheels, bug cages and gold fish. An elderly lady said “you can make toys from your surroundings.” The children at the sight of seeing toys made from natural part let out a shout of joy.
 
You can stop by to play and take a break while shopping in Minatogawa or you can stop by to take a peek at the shop.
 
 No matter why you come, everyone leaves with a smile. That might be the biggest attraction of wooden toys.
 
Casa Machilda  -Toy&friends-

Address：　No. 46　Minatogawa Gaijin Jutakugai, 2-13-2 Minatogawa, Urasoe-shi
Operating Hours: 10:30am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-4:30pm
TEL: 098-988-0405
Closings: Monday/Tuesday
Price: 300 yen Adults, 200 yen Children
http://casamachilda.ti-da.net/

 *There are parent/child English classes and yoga classes in the rental room.
If there are a lot of people it can be rented out.
 
Okinawa Clip Photowriter Akiko Ono