33rd Minato City Festival 2014 Tokyo Japan

33rd Minato City Festival is held In Shiba park near the Tokyo Tower. This is a festival which has a focus on making children happy. No beer and nothing really for adults here accept the food. This is the second time I was fortunate to help out at the festival. The festival starts at 10am and ends around 4pm. Everything for the children is free, accept food and drinks.

I helped out at the children’s plaza tent. In Japan they have public plazas where kids can go play for free. I guess like an American YMCA.

Our tent had a bingo game. The children were handed a bingo card which was full of riddles. The children had to solve the riddle in order to know who they should look for to get a stamp. If they can fill out the entire bingo card they can get a big prize. If not they can still get a price but just a smaller one. This was all free.

Here is a list of the children’s centers in Minato-ku. These are actually free and you can enter if you live in any Tokyo23 area. They are from 0-6yo (with a parent) and 7-18yo. The parents with the babies can let their kids play in the baby room as long as they are watching them and the 7-18yo can play anything they want. From basketball, volleyball, arts and crafts, computer games and much more which are all free.

The Japanese army was there and brought what I would call MRE’s with them and other army related stuff. They were mostly making cotton candy for anyone who wanted it as no charge.

Self Defense Force truck for anyone who would like to get in the driver’s seat and take a picture.

Self Defense Force tools

Self Defense Force Meals Ready to Eat MRE’s. On the left bottom side of the picture I was told that was rice pilaf and a hamburg which is essentially the Japanese equivlant of a Salisbury steak or meatloaf.

The Japan Automobile Federation is a group which promotes safe driving and they can also translate your foreign license into Japanese through them. This was a cute are for children where they can make a fake license with their photo and age at no charge.

These are some of the bikes and cars that were there anyone to get on/in and take some photos. They also has some cute kids uniforms to try on while taking photos.

Japanese tow truck.

Next we have the Japanese firemen giving rides on the escape ladder/lift.

This is an honest to goodness real working steam engine train; just miniature size.
Hop on and let’s go for a ride!

Here is a tent which just has some small toys to play with.

Japanese tops.

Japanese stilts.

Kind of like badminton, but the ball is lead and the racket is wood.

AIR SHOOTER!

Children can make their own personal mosaic tile.

Shrinky Dinks!
I have no idea if that is what they are really called, but that what I called them as a child. Get a sheet of plastic draw and color on it, put it in a small oven and it shrinks!

This was meant for children, but I quite enjoyed it myself.
They also had live bands and a Michael Jackson impersonator as the grand finally.

This is a new Japanese mascot character for Minato City or Tokyo which has not gone public yet. Kind of what Funashi is for Chiba. They had it here at the festival because they have not yet come up with a name or profile for it. You can submit a name and profile for it and if they choose yours you will get a prize.