Teku Teku

Free indoor play center for kids (with outdoor play areas also)

If you live in Niigata (or are headed here), one thing you're going to have to come to terms with are the weather extremes. Summers are still hot and humid, and winters are long and come accompanied with plenty of snow. In situations like that, it's handy to have indoor play centers to allow those little ones to burn off some energy without dealing with Mother Nature's extremes - and if you're close to Nagaoka then Teku Teku is a great spot to check out. Japan has plenty of paid indoor play centers, but Teku Teku is great in that it won't cost you a cent. All you have to do is sign in when you enter (I'm guessing this is for the government department that runs it - so they can get an idea of how much the facility is used). There's plenty of stuff to do inside for kids of all ages, from babies just working on tummy time through to pre-teens. There are play kitchens, balancing beam setups, interactive toys, bouncy houses and more. As well as the indoor stuff, there are outside playground areas to run around and enjoy the weather when Mother Nature is on your side. On the weekends we've visited it's been busy but manageable - it never felt crowded despite there being many families enjoying the facilities.