The Time Beyond the Sign

As you walk from Fuse Station through Honmachi Flower Road and approach the Nijo-dori Shopping Street, you’ll spot “Katsuraya Toy Store” right on the corner.

Anime characters, pictures of sightseeing boats, and faded checkered dolls.Retro, hand-drawn illustrations line the red, yellow, and blue sign. Even though I’m seeing it for the first time, it feels strangely nostalgic. When I stand in front of this shop, my feet mysteriously stop in their tracks.

Inside the display case are Licca-chan dolls, Kamen Rider figures, mini cars, and anime merchandise.Outside the store, too, toys hang densely from the ceiling like in a traditional candy shop, staring right at me as if to say, “This way!”

It feels as though time has stood still in this scene alone. Amid the ever-changing town of Fuse, this is the one place that remains just as it always was.

Romance Through the Glass

As if lured inside, I step in and am greeted by the “scent of treasures” packed tightly into the air. In the display case straight ahead, Tomica mini cars are neatly lined up.Next to them are the colorful boxes of Licca-chan dolls. On the top shelf, Ichimatsu dolls dressed in kimonos gaze quietly at me.

It’s not just nostalgia. A son is now looking at the toys his father played with as a child. In this way, multiple layers of time overlap on the same shelf.

“I think I used to have this,” “Dad, look at this!”

Voices like these can be heard from all around. While the children are naturally engrossed, the adults’ eyes, too, seem to be glistening with emotion.

Shopping with Little Hands

“Hey, sir, number 76!”

He clearly remembers the favorite he picked out himself and calls it out. A little boy, clutching his money, calls out to the shop owner behind the register.

“That’ll be ~~ yen. Why don’t you take your time counting it?”

The gentle voice belongs to Mr. Maekawa, the third-generation owner. Whether ringing up the purchase or bagging the items, he takes his time and does everything carefully. Through “shopping” here, the children learn important lessons.

—How to use money.
—Making their own decisions.
—Saying “thank you.”

It’s not just a toy store. It’s more like a “community learning center.”

Family Business and Community Development

Maekawa, the third-generation owner, originally studied urban planning and worked as a civil servant. However, he says he “caught a cold of the heart” and decided to take over the family business. Now, as chairman of the Honmachi-dori Shopping District, he is deeply involved in shaping the town’s future.

In the back of the store stands a wooden box labeled “The Shopkeeper’s Bookshelf.” It’s lined with books on community development and shopping districts.

Isn’t it wonderful that this place, which sells dreams to children, also serves as a “treasure trove of community wisdom” that supports the neighborhood?

A Magical Place

I’ve heard the shop isn’t open every day these days. But whenever I see the shutters open, I can’t help but stop by—even if I don’t have anything planned.

Why? Because even if I don’t intend to buy anything, there’s something I want to see. There’s an atmosphere I want to experience.

The Licca-chan dolls and Tomica cars behind the glass still stand there quietly. It’s as if they’re gently guarding the memories of my childhood.

I think “time stands still” is actually a compliment. Because after leaving this place, I feel just a little bit gentler inside.

――That’s the magic of Katsuraya.