Kidzania

Kidzania is, as the picture says, located in Koshien. It's one of many different theme-park like places that don't really offer rides and attractions as they offer experience in the work force. Yes, kids between the age of 'too-young' and 'don't-care' can go and see how fun it is to have a job.



Kids who have a dream to one day be a train driver, pilot or even astronaut can go be one for the day. This is great, I think, for building up the idea that you can be someone, that you can do something with your life. I have asked hundreds of adults what they want to be here in Japan, and the majority of the answers are all to the effect of "I don't know." So, if this works for kids, Huzzah!


However, it seems, and I don't know everything about it, that some of these jobs that they have kids doing is manual labor. oooOOOOOOooooo... The excitement of tearing up carpets! Working in a factory! Serving food on a prison buffet! Wow! These are all the jobs we try to convince kids are fun, but know aren't. These are the kinds of jobs that we wish we never have, but take only to support our family; because we don't know what to do with our lives; because we know what we want to do, but don't know how to do it.

The whole thing kinda stinks, too, in the way that this country - though not the worst - has a terrible culture of how businesses treat their employees. Service quality is excellent, but comes at the price of the employees' health, both mental and physical. Places like Kidazania just seem as though they're here to get the next generation ready for their eventual slavery.

The benefit of discipline and focus shines through, if only because children in Japan are hardly ever disciplined at home. Working with children everyday I see this. Especially the boys are let loose to do what they want. This is in part due to the fact that - even though there are a lot of benefits for employees with children - the fathers are hardly ever home, and most of the mothers I've met and spent time with during the school year are extremely reluctant to even raise their voices at their misbehaving children. I could go on, but I think the idea of a young boy, not old enough to shave, going to Kidzania to learn how to shave from a woman he's never met before chills my spine.

In the end, I'm not really sure how to feel about it. I haven't really experienced Kidzania, so all I can give are my thoughts on it's existence. I hope that, in the end, children really do come away with a sense of purpose, but no pressure in becoming another worthless ant in the colony.

Update: Apparently, children who go to Kidzania and work can make money, though probably fake money, but that can be spent on real things in the place.  I'm starting to warm up to it as I learn more...