Silver Week Is Playtime at Kids Plaza
Looking for somewhere to take the kids during Silver Week? Kids Plaza Osaka adds traditional Japanese games, an old-fashioned candy shop and special activities to four floors of hands-on play in the heart of the city.
Spin a top. Try your hand at kendama. Spend a few yen at an old-fashioned Japanese candy shop. And when everyone has had enough nostalgia, let the kids climb, create, experiment — or step in front of a television camera.
Silver Week brings three days of special autumn play to Kids Plaza Osaka from September 20–22, adding traditional Japanese games and activities to one of central Osaka’s most entertaining family destinations.
The centerpiece is Kodomo Ennichi Hiroba, a retro-style children’s festival area where kids can try koma spinning tops, kendama and hula hoops from 10:00–16:00. No advance registration is required, and participation is included with museum admission.
On September 20 and 21, Kids Plaza Dagashiya recreates an old-fashioned neighborhood candy shop. Children can browse the colorful selection, count out their own money and choose from the inexpensive dagashi candies and snacks generations of Japanese kids grew up buying. September 22 adds another bit of old-school fun with a workshop for making a traditional bunbun hikoki buzzing airplane toy.
Then there’s the rest of Kids Plaza — and that’s where a Silver Week outing can easily turn into an entire afternoon.
Four floors are built around the idea that children learn by doing. The centerpiece is Kids Town, an extraordinary indoor city designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, filled with curving walls, bridges, passages and a tube slide that practically begs to be explored. Elsewhere, children can experiment with science, make things and play at different jobs around a miniature community.
September adds another experience to the mix. Through September 30, kids can step into Waiwai Studio and try television production for themselves — appearing as a news or weather presenter using a chroma-key virtual set, dubbing voices onto animation or creating sound effects with everyday objects.
And parents aren’t simply delivering the kids to an activity center. There is plenty here for adults to enjoy alongside them — whether that’s attempting a kendama, introducing them to dagashi or watching what happens when someone discovers how television sound effects are really made.
Silver Week provides a particularly good excuse to visit, but families don’t need a holiday to come here. Kids Plaza Osaka is open throughout the year, just minutes from JR Temma Station and beside Osaka Metro Ogimachi Station. The indoor city, science exhibits, creative spaces and hands-on activities are permanent, while workshops and special programs change throughout the year.
So come for the Silver Week games and candy shop. Stay because somebody discovered a slide, a television studio or something else they absolutely have to try before going home.
Silver Week Playtime — Try traditional Japanese games including kendama, spinning tops and hula hoops.
Shop for Dagashi — Kids can choose and buy their own treats at an old-fashioned Japanese candy shop.
Explore Kids Town — Climb, slide and wander through Hundertwasser’s wonderfully unconventional indoor city.
Go On the Air — Become a TV presenter, try voice acting or create your own sound effects in Waiwai Studio.
Four Floors of Fun — Science, creativity, role-playing and hands-on exhibits give the whole family plenty to explore.
Photos: Kids Plaza Osaka official websites, Art: Japan Scenes
Opening Hours
THE SCENE: FAQ’s
ACCESS
Venue: Kids Plaza Osaka
Address: 2-1-7 Ogimachi, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0025
Trains
JR Osaka Loop Line → Temma Station
Walk west approximately 3 minutes to Kids Plaza Osaka.
Subways
Metro Sakaisuji Line → Ogimachi Station
Use Exit 2 for direct access to the building.
Kids Plaza occupies the lower floors of Kansai TV’s building. Ogimachi Station provides the easiest access, while JR Temma is a convenient alternative.
SCHEDULE
Silver Week Program: September 20–22, 2026
Museum Hours: 9:30–17:00
Last Admission: 16:15
Kodomo Ennichi Hiroba: September 20–22 / 10:00–16:00
Try traditional Japanese games including kendama, koma spinning tops and hula hoops.
Kids Plaza Dagashiya: September 20–21 / 10:30–12:00 & 13:00–15:30
Kids can choose and purchase traditional Japanese dagashi while supplies last.
Bunbun Hikoki: September 22
Make a traditional buzzing airplane toy.
Other regular and September-only museum activities continue during Silver Week, including Waiwai Studio’s TV, voice-acting and sound-effects experiences.
TICKETS
Adults: ¥1,400
Elementary / Junior High: ¥800
Ages 3–5: ¥500
Ages 0–2: Free
The main Silver Week activities are included with museum admission, although some workshops or activities may have separate requirements, capacity limits or material fees.
Tickets can be purchased at the museum. Check the official website for current advance-ticket options and activity reservations.
Official Website:
https://www.kidsplaza.or.jp/
THE EXPERIENCE
Kids Plaza is designed around doing rather than looking, with four floors of activities for children and families.
- Play traditional Japanese games during the Silver Week festival.
- Let kids choose their own treats at the temporary dagashiya.
- Climb, slide and explore the Hundertwasser-designed Kids Town.
- Experiment with hands-on science and creative exhibits.
- Try different jobs and everyday roles through imaginative play.
- Step into Waiwai Studio as a TV presenter, voice actor or sound-effects artist.
- Find spaces and activities designed specifically for very young children.
Best for: Preschool and elementary-school-age children are likely to get the most from the overall experience, but Kids Plaza provides dedicated activities for toddlers and options for older children as well.
INFO & TIPS
Kids Plaza is completely indoors, making it a particularly useful Silver Week option if September is hot or rainy.
The museum divides children’s admission into ages 0–2, 3–5 and elementary/junior-high students, reflecting the broad range of ages it serves. Children ages 0–2 enter free.
Silver Week can be busy, and some activities have limited capacity or operate only while supplies last. Arriving earlier in the day gives families the best chance to participate.
The dagashiya uses real money, so giving children a few coins lets them choose and buy their own treats.
Strollers can be used inside the museum, and there are stroller parking areas when they need to be left outside particular exhibits.
Coin lockers are available inside Kids Plaza. Large luggage that does not fit should be discussed with staff at the reception counter.
There is a nursing room with hot water for formula, along with diaper-changing facilities. Baby food can be eaten in designated areas.
Food and drinks are restricted to designated areas rather than throughout the exhibition floors. Visitors may leave and re-enter on the same day, which makes it possible to head out for lunch around Temma and return afterward.
Kids Plaza Osaka is open throughout the year, so families don’t need to wait for Silver Week. Its permanent exhibits and Kids Town remain available year-round, with workshops and seasonal programs changing regularly.
Kids Plaza Osaka
Telephone: 06-6311-6601
Official Website: https://www.kidsplaza.or.jp/
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsplazaosaka/
