logo
'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station

'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station

Japan Forward2 days ago

Outside Aoto Station in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, there's a playful area designed to resemble a giant version of the board game The Game of Life . The ground is patterned like the game board, and the bench is shaped like the game's iconic roulette wheel. A bench modeled after the iconic roulette wheel from "The Game of Life."
This creative space is the result of a collaboration between toy maker TOMY, which has ties to the local area, and Keisei Electric Railway. It builds on a project from two years ago, when the station's name sign was redesigned with the game's theme. The station sign at Aoto.
Originally developed in the United States, The Game of Life has been adapted in Japan to reflect local culture and social trends. Since its Japanese debut in 1968, the game and its various editions have sold over 15 million units nationwide. Game board squares painted on the ground.
As children run excitedly across the life-sized game board, local resident Ryo Saito smiles and says, "My son loves this place, and for me, it brings back memories." A timeless favorite, the game continues to bring joy across generations. The station square bustling with families.
( Read the article in Japanese . )
Author: Katsuyuki Seki, The Sankei Shimbun

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Prada wants to change the conversation away from aggression, toward gentleness
Prada wants to change the conversation away from aggression, toward gentleness

Winnipeg Free Press

time17 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Prada wants to change the conversation away from aggression, toward gentleness

MILAN (AP) — With global tensions escalating, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons want to change the conversation to something gentle, calm and nice with their menswear collection for next summer, previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday. 'We tried to make a change of tone, from powerful to gentle, calm,'' Prada said after the show. 'Basically, the opposite of aggression, power, nastiness.'' 'Sometimes it is good to reflect, and be a bit more calm,'' added Simons, her co-creative director. Innocence reimagined In that vein, the pair's latest menswear collection recalled childish innocence, opening with short shorts that were more precisely elasticized briefs, with pleated pockets, worn with a sturdy, sure-footed shoe and black sock and a crisp white buttoned-down shirt with a naive print of a sun and waves. These panty-shorts were paired also with leather coats, long cotton shirts or fringed knitwear that give men access to the pant-less look already embraced by some female celebrities. Freedom in form and color A more serious double-breasted suit was worn with the sleeves pushed up in a get-to-work gesture layered over track jackets. Track pants with a side stripe or straight, cropped cotton trousers otherwise anchored the looks with leather jackets, car coats or knitwear. Urban looks ensembles paired with backpacks and flip-flops, on the verge of the getaway. Light, summer looks were finished with loafers. Nothing was completely office, and nothing was completely beach. The silhouette was deliberately unstructured, and the color palette broad and undefined. Gray, black, khaki and navy were offset by red, sky blue, lime green and turquoise and purple, monochromes mixing casually, as if to say, any way you want. 'We wanted everything to be human in its dimension, to be light and fresh and colorful,'' Simons said. Playful, with a shadow There was humor, even whimsy, in bright cone-shaped woven raffia hats that recalled a shuttlecock, some with strands of raffia feathering over the eyes as if a shade. In the spirit of change, the showroom was left deliberately raw, with concrete and orange beams exposed and sunlight streaming through the high windows. Childlike daisy-shaped rugs were the only decoration. While the colorful headgear and floral accents put a smile on people's faces, news that the U.S. had entered Israel's war with Iran on Sunday cast a somber mood. 'We are always very aware of that,'' Prada said. 'Good luck to everyone.'' Celeb frenzy Outside the Prada Foundation showroom, hundreds of fans screamed for the arrival of Asian pop group TransfOrmProject, South Korean actor Lee Do-hyun and Japanese singer Sana. Also on hand were English-Ghanaian rapper Stormzy, NBA star Anthony Edwards and actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Harris Dickinson.

Be a Global Catalyst for Communications
Be a Global Catalyst for Communications

Japan Forward

timea day ago

  • Japan Forward

Be a Global Catalyst for Communications

このページを 日本語 で読む JAPAN Forward has launched "Ignite," a series to share the voices of students in Japan in English. How do they see the world, and what insights will they share with us? Individually and collectively, today's students will shape our global future. Let's listen. This first essay, along with the four that follow, introduces the winning works of the Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) high school student English essay contest. In its 17th year, the nationwide contest has been held annually since 2009. The first essay, by Ashiya Gakuen Senior High School student Tetsu Den, follows. First in the Series, 'Ignite' In the gloomy cabin of the airplane, I was tormented by extreme nervousness. "How will I get through this three-week homestay?" My head was filled with the stories I'd read recently about other Asian people's negative experiences abroad. No sooner had we arrived than the glare of the sun was shining on our Canadian host families. Suddenly, a man wearing a blue shirt came running over, calling my name. "Hi, Tetsu! I finally found you." It was my host father. On our way home, I felt extremely uncomfortable in the awkward situation. My fatigue after the flight and the tension of meeting someone new hindered conversation with him. Finally, his first question broke the silence. "Hey, where are you from? How is life in your country?" His eager eyes and attitude showed me his tolerance and generosity. I overcame my hesitation and said, "Actually, I'm not Japanese, but I was brought up in Japan. My father is Chinese, and my mother is Korean. So, I have had some linguistic and identification problems in Japan, but my life there is fulfilling and..." Before my next words, he immediately interjected, "Wow! So do you speak four languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean?" I nodded. "That's amazing! You're so multicultural! I think that someday you'll be a diplomat." His admiration was unexpected, and his words cleared away the fog of my worries. [Then] I realized that I had been susceptible to social media stories about national biases. I had read that a lot of people overseas blamed all Asians for COVID-19, and I was braced for intolerance in Canada. Tetsu Den, winner of the Grand Prize and America-Japan Society President's Award for his English essay. Den wrote about what he learned from a homestay in Canada. (©IIBC) Before this trip, I had been struggling with my two national identities: Chinese and Korean. It was the biggest anxiety in my life. Living in Japan makes things even more complex. I've often seen examples in the morning news of the volatile relationship between these three nations – historical problems such as the territorial disputes, as well as economic matters. Sometimes in the morning, the first thing I hear isn't my parents' warm greeting but harsh criticism of China and Korea on the TV. Every time I heard such news, my heart dropped. At school in Japan, I worried about how my friends viewed me, and even when I visited China and Korea, I felt people were suspicious of my mixed heritage. To make things worse, due to COVID-19, discrimination against Asian people seemed to be fierce around the world. I thought there was no country where I could bare my complicated background freely. My host father was the first person to change that. The day after I arrived, my Canadian host father suggested we take a stroll. As we walked, I thanked him for his cheerful words in the car and explained how I had been afraid of going abroad. I told him, "The world might be prejudiced, but you're generous and fair." He thought I was flattering him and didn't think what he had said was special, but it was to me. We talked more about the cultural differences and similarities between our countries. At the end, he smiled. "You've made me realize how gullible I was. From now on I'll trust life experience over social media stories." I felt great accomplishment for rectifying his misunderstandings about Asian nations. My host father taught me that I should be proud of my diverse family history and the unique view of the world that having three home countries gives me. Also, I learned how hard it is to have an understanding free from media influence. At the same time, I realized how fair my Japanese friends have been, how unique my background is, and how blessed I am. I am convinced that any discord between nations can be relieved by communication, acceptance, and learning that we all have similar values. From now on, my life's duty is to be a global catalyst and bring people together. Tetsu Den won the 2023 Grand Prize and America-Japan Society President's Award for his English-language essay. At the time, he was a second-year student at Ashiya Gakuen Senior High School in Hyogo Prefecture. He explained his thoughts about the essay as follows: "I went to Canada this summer to study abroad as part of a school project. In this essay, I summarized my experiences of 'communication without borders' in Canada, a country known as a multinational nation, and my thoughts about my own background before studying abroad. When I wrote the essay, I seriously considered how I should be as an international person from now on, and was able to recognize once again the greatness of communication between different cultures. I am grateful to everyone who gave me such a fulfilling experience." Author: Tetsu Den, Ashiya Gakuen Senior High School, Hyogo Prefecture このページを 日本語 で読む

'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station
'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station

Japan Forward

time2 days ago

  • Japan Forward

'Game of Life' Play Area Opens Outside Aoto Station

Outside Aoto Station in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, there's a playful area designed to resemble a giant version of the board game The Game of Life . The ground is patterned like the game board, and the bench is shaped like the game's iconic roulette wheel. A bench modeled after the iconic roulette wheel from "The Game of Life." This creative space is the result of a collaboration between toy maker TOMY, which has ties to the local area, and Keisei Electric Railway. It builds on a project from two years ago, when the station's name sign was redesigned with the game's theme. The station sign at Aoto. Originally developed in the United States, The Game of Life has been adapted in Japan to reflect local culture and social trends. Since its Japanese debut in 1968, the game and its various editions have sold over 15 million units nationwide. Game board squares painted on the ground. As children run excitedly across the life-sized game board, local resident Ryo Saito smiles and says, "My son loves this place, and for me, it brings back memories." A timeless favorite, the game continues to bring joy across generations. The station square bustling with families. ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: Katsuyuki Seki, The Sankei Shimbun

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store