Edion is an electronics store in Japan that sells household electrical appliances. Actually I wouldn’t know about the range of appliances it offers because I spent all my time at the kids’ corner.

In many instances, you can feel how the Consumer is King in Japanese hospitality. Edion dedicated a spacious play area called Neverland for little beings to let loose and their exhausted parents to catch a breather - at the grand cost of zero sats.

That was my daughter zooming up the stairs like a champ.

Toddlers break Guinness world records for how short their attention span is, but thankfully, Neverland didn’t put all their eggs on the slide. She spent some time at the Lego corner:

In land-scarce Singapore, we can also find play areas at our Lego stores, but children have to stand the whole time because there just isn’t space to place any chairs. I was touched by how my daughter got to sit there and play comfortably.

The Lego play area didn’t sustain her attention for long. She spent an inordinate amount of time with Anpanman-themed cooking toys. She must have influenced by her mum who enjoys cooking.

There was even a bridge for her to climb up and down to we spend her energy.

At the end of it all, I had no qualms leaving the store without buying anything. But my father-in-law, having recently bonded with his grandson over Pokemon, bought a stylish blue Pokeball and a Pikachu figurine. So, he assuaged my guilt for using this area for free.

If you are travelling to Japan with your kids, you might want to bookmark Edion stores in advance. A lifesaver that affords some breathing space!