A Community-Nurtured Space for Everyone to Enjoy: An All-Weather Playground Opens in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture!

The Sakai City Indoor Children's Play Facility, 'Sakai Kids Park,' designed by JAKUETS Inc. (Headquarters: Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture; President: Tatsuro Tokumoto), opened on March 20, 2026 (National Holiday/Friday).

Fukui Prefecture is promoting the development of all-weather playgrounds by its cities and towns, utilizing subsidies of up to 100 million yen to create environments where children can play safely regardless of the weather. As part of this initiative, our company designed the play space for the newly opened Sakai City Indoor Children's Play Facility, 'Sakai Kids Park.' ■ An Integrated Playground Like the Earth Itself Rather than the conventional approach of placing individual pieces of play equipment, this facility was conceived as a three-dimensional play space where the entire architecture is viewed as one 'large earth (playground).' Following the characteristic natural features of Sakai City, the interior is arranged from west to east as the 'Sea of Japan,' the 'Sakai Plain,' and the 'Takeda Mountains.' By representing the plateau on the Sea of Japan side as high ground and creating topographical changes that gently rise toward the Takeda Mountains in the east, we have expressed the 'unique terrain of Sakai City.' As children explore the entire playground, they can experience the rich nature, climate, and culture of Sakai City. ■ A Place for Everyone, Nurtured by the Community The facility features inclusive play equipment designed so that everyone can play, regardless of whether they have a disability. From the adjacent terrace, adults can oversee the entire play area, allowing them to watch over children with peace of mind. Furthermore, in addition to a rest area where food and drinks are permitted, the facility is fully equipped with lockers, baby beds, a baby room, a nursing room, and a calm-down room.