Hello! I am Yamaguchi from the Account Planning Bureau.

This may be sudden, but I have three personal goals for 2022. Would you mind hearing them?

1. Do not buy items if I cannot think of a comfortable place for them in my room.
2. Become a little more meticulous.
3. Support my favorites while I still can.

While I have set these goals and am enjoying both my private life and work every day, I am finding number 2 to be quite a challenge!

As a naturally “tekito” (laid-back/careless) person who buys cookbooks only to completely ignore the recipes, every time I end up with a dish that tastes mysterious, I feel that a balance between being casual and being serious is truly important.

However, there is a theme park currently being held at “Asobuild” in Yokohama that makes you think, “Maybe being ‘tekito’ is actually a good thing!” I attended the press preview of the “Tekito Railway Exhibition,” for which SUNNY SIDE UP handles the PR, and I would like to share its charms with you!

Perhaps a first in Japan!? What is the “Tekito Railway Exhibition”?

The “Tekito Railway Exhibition” is being held from Saturday, August 6, to Sunday, November 27, 2022, at “YOKOHAMA COAST” on the 2nd floor of “Asobuild,” a multi-purpose experiential entertainment facility in Yokohama.

While Japanese railways often have a strong image of being serious and meticulous—always arriving on time—this theme park is a place where both adults and children can enjoy the inherent charm of railways while experiencing a sense of being “tekito,” freeing themselves even slightly from everyday rules and constraints.

The theme park was opened through a collaboration between Tanoshii Museum Co., Ltd., the up-and-coming creative planning team behind the popular “Unko Museum” (which has attracted approximately 800,000 visitors), and Blue Muse Co., Ltd., which develops and operates content themed around everyday and extraordinary entertainment.

Even the entrance is so “tekito”!

Naturally, the admission tickets are also “tekito”! After receiving a strangely shaped ticket from the vending machine, it was time to enter!

The site, spanning approximately 1,000 square meters, is packed with content designed to let visitors enjoy being “tekito.” After passing through the ticket gate, the first thing you see is “Tekito Central Station.” Electronic bulletin boards and information signs similar to those in a real station appear, but everything written and announced is completely “tekito” (lol).

At Tekito Central Station, you can enjoy seeing your own illustrations of trains projected onto a giant projection mapping display, entering the station just like a real train. At the preview, children were completely absorbed in their drawing.

The five stations and the central line each offer a different flavor of “tekito”!

<The Tekito Line>
Introducing the Tekito Line that runs through the center of the exhibition!

The train is full of advertisements that will make you chuckle, such as “Part-time job? I’ll go if I can make it,” and “I’m skipping work, so this is business.”

The passengers on the Tekito Line are, of course, “tekito” as well. Helmets, green onions, stag beetles, maid outfits… everything on display is said to be actual lost property found on real trains!

<Mechakomi Square Station>
“Packed trains” usually make people feel gloomy every morning. But at the Tekito Railway Exhibition, you can even enjoy these incredibly crowded trains! This is an installation piece where various people, including university students, office workers, and elderly women, are gathered in unique outfits and poses. In fact, you can even doodle on these people!

There is also a place where you can create original pictograms. I worked hard to make mine look as unrefined as possible.

<Ekiben Town Station>

This is a station where you can casually create your own original “ekiben” (station bento)! Various ingredients and bento accessories like dividers appear as stamps, allowing you to create your own ideal station lunch box.

Since I had been craving takoyaki for a few days, my ekiben ended up being very faithful to my desires. There is only one mysterious shiso leaf for vegetables… but wouldn’t you buy an ekiben like this if it existed!?

<Game Station>

Next is a game corner that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. It was a huge hit, featuring games like “Railway Master,” where you become a station attendant and judge passengers who violate railway etiquette, and “Railway Master II,” where you try to load as many “yourselves” as possible onto a train!

This is surprisingly difficult…

I was so “tekito” that I earned the title of “Tekito Master”!

<Tetsudo-butsu Park Station>

Finally, a station where “Tetsudo-butsu” (Railway Animals) appear. But everyone looks so sleepy… Actually, you can lie down and rest on the net in front of them! Looking at these “Tetsudo-butsu” living so freely makes you feel that it’s okay to take a break once in a while.

There are so many of these “Tetsudo-butsu.” Personally, I loved “Chien” (Delay), who is a train but never acts on time. I want it as a LINE stamp.

Sometimes being “tekito” is important. The important lessons the exhibition teaches us.

The “Tekito Railway Exhibition” is casual in every way. There were many moments that helped me relax, like chuckling at an unexpected announcement or saying, “Oh, I made a mistake! Oh well!” during a game.

In this day and age where there are many challenges, being serious is important, but being serious all the time is exhausting and sometimes not very fun! Being “tekito” is not a bad thing. This theme park allowed me to rediscover the charm of being “appropriately casual,” freeing myself a little from daily rules and constraints. From tomorrow, I will continue to live my life in a “tekito” way, just as I always have!

For those of you thinking that going to experience some “tekito” might be a good idea for a summer vacation outing, detailed information can be found on the website below! Please enjoy yourselves casually!