{"id":1245,"date":"2009-06-28T21:52:44","date_gmt":"2009-06-28T12:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2009-06-28\/1245"},"modified":"2010-05-30T21:34:32","modified_gmt":"2010-05-30T12:34:32","slug":"the-wonder-of-kidzania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2009-06-28\/1245","title":{"rendered":"The Wonder of “KidZania”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 1600 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nOpen Wide<\/span>\ndental patient in a plastic-like stupor\n<\/div>\n\n

We took Anthony to KidZania<\/a> yesterday, in Nishinomiya (near Kobe, about an\nhour and a half<\/span> drive south from Kyoto). It's best described<\/span> as “Vocational\nSchool meets Disneyland”... it's a place<\/span> where kids get to pretend to be\nall kinds of things. The picture<\/span> above is from the dental clinic, of\ncourse.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 32 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 4000 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nAuto Shop<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nFirefighters<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 66 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nGetting Ready to Tackle the Blaze<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nDousing the Fire<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nEMT Attends a Patient<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 58 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 4500 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nChanging a Tire<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 35 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1600 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nTV News<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 900 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nFood Prep<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1250 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nMaternity Ward<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

KidZania is a two-story indoor area filled with more than 70 different\n“businesses” where the kids can participate as an employee or customer.\nThey can move from business to business, with each event taking from 15 to\n30 minutes, although, like Disneyland, much time is spent waiting your\nturn.<\/p>\n\n

If they participate as an employee, they're paid (in KidZo monetary\nunits), and if they participate as a customer,<\/span> they must pay. The terms<\/span> for\neach “business” are displayed out front... how much pay they'll get for\nparticipating, or how much it'll cost to participate.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 27 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 3600 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nA KidZania<\/span> “Street”<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 3600 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nElectronics Repair<\/span>\nthe lady at right is holding a description of a fuse<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 40 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nArmored Transport<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

All the businesses mimic in many ways their real-life sponsors. Anyone\nin a Japanese<\/span> city will immediately recognize the uniforms of the kids\nabove as that of ALSOK (the Japan equivalent of “Brinks” in the US).\n“Midori<\/a>” in the photo above that is a well<\/span>-known big-chain electronics\nstore.<\/p>\n\n

(Those familiar with Japan may look at the Autobacs sign in the second\npicture and note, correctly, that Autobacs' sign is orange, not yellow.\nIndeed, the sign at KidZania was retina-searing pure orange, but it came\nout as yellow in the pictures due to the same technological limitations\nmentioned in this post on spot metering<\/a>. The jumpsuits<\/span> were the\nexact same orange as the sign, but come across as reddish in the photo due\nto white-balance<\/a> issues and the horrible mix of every known\ntype of lighting on earth.... just in very limited overall quantities.\nSigh.)<\/p>\n\n

Anyway, I couldn't find a business that I didn't<\/span> immediately recognize.\nEven the generic government services like the KidZania police force and\nfire department were sponsored by well-known conpanies.<\/p>\n\n

The well-known names and uniforms, of course, make it all the more fun\nand real for the kids. The lead “guard” in the photo above is about to walk\nby a delivery<\/span> truck for Yamato Kuroneko (the Japan equivalent of Federal\nExpress), whose uniforms Anthony tried to mimic in his deliveryman play\na few<\/span> years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 1000 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nSurgery<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 200 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nCar Manufacture<\/span>\nthis Mitsubishi awaits its passenger seat and door\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 125 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 3600 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nSeiko Watch<\/span>\nfor some reason, Seiko Watch's activity was a dance<\/span> performance (????)\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 120 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nRadio Broadcast<\/span>\nthe kids get to use the most-excellent Sony MDR-V6 headphones\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 175 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 1800 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nBaking<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

According to the sign above the kid at right, up to 10 kids can do this\n“job” at a time,<\/span> and it takes about 30 minutes. Recommended for kids age 3\nand above. Salary is 5 KidZo bucks. These kids were next in line, after the\ngroup inside was done.<\/p>\n\n

The netting under their hats looks perfectly normal for someone in a\nbakery,<\/span> but it's a general<\/span> hygiene thing at KidZania... kids get a hair<\/span> net\nto wear under whatever headgear goes with the uniform.<\/p>\n\n

It was quite dark inside, so I had trouble getting good shots. I wonder<\/span> how well the photojournalists in the shot below did with their Sony\ncameras, as they covered the KidZania fire department rolling on yet\nanother fire....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 175 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 6400 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nPhotojournalists<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

KidZania seems to be fire prone, with the FD getting called out just\nabout every 30 minutes. And there<\/span> must be something in the water, because\nthe city produces a lot<\/i> of babies...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 28 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 1100 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nAnother Look at the Maternity Ward<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Other “businesses” include rent-a-car (where the kids actually get to\ndrive a car<\/span>), fashion boutique (designer or model), flight attendant,\nmagician, building maintenance, ice-cream shop, hotel work (various\npositions), department store clerk \/ customer, financial consulting, flower\nshop, pet store, cell-phone sales, glass-making, barber \/ beautician,\nmayonnaise production, new-home sales, offset printing, pizza shop,\ntrain-conductor<\/a>.... well, there are just oodles more.<\/p>\n\n

There's a KidZania in Tokyo that Fumie had heard about from a friend,<\/span> so\nwhen one opened here in March, she wanted to bring Anthony. As you might<\/span>\nimagine, this kind of place is popular, so it's difficult to get a\nreservation<\/span> (Fumie had made one months ago), and it's really expensive: $40\nper kid, more than $20 per adult. Adults get absolutely nothing for their\n$20, except the ability to watch their kid. (And of course, it's worth\nit.)<\/p>\n\n

There are two sessions per day, five or six hours long each; we went to\nthe second one yesterday.<\/p>\n\n

Here's the scene in the adjacent mall, waiting to get in...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 2500 —\nfull exif<\/a><\/span>\nWaiting To Be Let In<\/span>\nafter about half of the 450 or so families have already been let in\n<\/div>\n\n

They're very regimented. They check your reservation, put RFID<\/a> bracelets\non you that can't be removed without a special<\/span> tool or a bone<\/span>-cutting\nchainsaw, and give you a card<\/span> that indicates your place in line. Noting the\ncrowd, I casually<\/span> asked the registration lady how many people came each\nday, to which she replied in service-field Japanese of the most humble and\nfloral variety: “I'm not at liberty to divulge such information to you”.\nWhoa, just asking! It was very<\/span> odd, as if I had<\/span> asked a secret<\/span> service\nagent “So, where will The President be most vulnerable?”. Weird.<\/p>\n\n

Our group of three got entry position “G-18”. Each letter went from 1\nthrough 60, and they had signs for up through “H-60”, so that means they're\nready for up to 480 groups. Some groups might have just one parent and one\nadult, but many had multiple adults and multiple kids. I'll guess on\naverage 2 adults and 1.75 kids per group, which would put the total crowd\nat 1,800 (and, for what it's worth, the total gross for the half-day\nsession at $54,000).<\/p>\n\n

When it came time to “load” the rope alleys with “G” groups, they called\nout each number one by one, and confirmed our group of three by name<\/i>\nas we presented our “G-18” card. Our tickets<\/span> were eventually checked, and\nour RFID bands rechecked, and finally we gained admittance. Anthony had\nmany activities he wanted to try, but one was clearly on top of his must-do\nlist, and so we made a bee<\/span>-line directly there.... only to find out that\nhe'd have to wait 20 minutes before getting to start.<\/p>\n\n

But that begins a story left for another post....but as a hint,<\/span>\nnone<\/i> of the activities that Anthony did have been mentioned in this\npost.<\/p>\n\n

All the posts about KidZania are listed in (in reverse order) my KidZania\ncategory<\/a>, or, you can just read them in\norder starting here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We took Anthony to KidZania yesterday, in Nishinomiya (near Kobe, about an hour and a half drive south from Kyoto). It's best described as \"Vocational School meets Disneyland\"... it's a place where kids get to pretend to be all kinds of things. The picture above is from the dental clinic, of course.<\/p>

KidZania is a two-story indoor area filled with more than 70 different \"businesses\" where the kids can participate as an employee or customer. They can move from business to business, with each event taking from 15 to 30 minutes, although, like Disneyland, much time is spent waiting your [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,24,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}