Photo/Illutration Lisa Vogt

As a child, I always preferred playing with boys.

Kickball, cops and robbers, marbles, tag, steal the bacon--I had too much energy to sit around and play house, pretending to cook, clean and nurse baby dolls. How boring! Yes, I hear you--it’s the 2020s, and I need to write more responsibly and be gender-neutral. I get that, too.

Yet, I look back with fond memories of playing cowboys and Indians. I think that equates to "chanbara gokko" in Japan, but without the insensitivity regarding the past treatment of Native Americans.

There’s a museum and cafe at Lake Kawaguchi called Happy Days, or the Kitahara Museum. It’s mainly composed of Teruhisa Kitahara’s private toy collection, although there are some nostalgic items on display, like old SP records.

There is also the loaded life-sized mascot character the Oriental Curry boy. Why loaded? The term “oriental” is now considered politically incorrect and cannot be used on U.S. federal documents. The pre-makeover mascot, with its color and features, is today cringe-worthy.

We live in complicated times because there are minefields everywhere, and we must monitor every word so that nobody is offended. In this sense, the name “Happy Days” might bode well for those not on the “sensitive” side. Personally, I think too many people find insult where none exists or is intended.

Two floors chockful of nostalgic items fill the museum. In the Boys Collection are tin and plastic robots, spaceships, airplanes, automobiles, cards and what looked to be G.I. Joes.

In the Girls Collection were, predictably, dolls, miniature kitchen utensils, food replicas like fried shrimp, "napolitan" and "omurice," and appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. I remember that there was a time when most manufactured toys around the world were made in Japan.

I enjoyed seeing simple pre-IC chip and battery-operated toys that reflected the times. More than a few brought back memories.

After leaving the museum, I asked myself what made for a truly good toy. If that popular character sticker were removed, would the child still want it?

The coolest toy in the world might not be one that could be found in a store or museum. A shoebox with a string attached to it could morph into a dog with a leash, a dump truck or crane, or even a flying dinosaur with a child’s imagination. Children are wired to play.

 “Happy Days” might just mean uncomplicated and simple, for toys and life.

* * *

This article by Lisa Vogt, a Washington-born and Tokyo-based photographer, originally appeared in the Oct. 18 issue of Asahi Weekly. It is part of the series "Lisa’s In and Around Tokyo," which depicts the capital and its surroundings through the perspective of the author, a professor at Meiji University.

Related News