[Regional Revitalization Report] A Magical Candy Store Becomes a 'Street-Corner e-Sports Stadium'. 40 Parents and Children in Ikoma, Nara Go Wild, Rebuilding Community with the Switch
Tobira no Mukou LLC hosted an e-sports tournament at a candy store in Ikoma, Nara. Nearly 40 parents and children participated using Nintendo Switches. It proved that gaming can foster community and, by introducing English rules, be an entry point to learning.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 25, 2026 at 03:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 18:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 21:09 (2h 37m after Collected)
Tobira no Mukou LLC (Location: Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, Representative: Yasuyuki Makita) held an e-sports tournament on April 18, 2026, at the 'Magical Candy Store Minami Tirol-do' located in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture.
Against a capacity of 20 people, nearly 40 people in total, including over 30 children and their parents, attended.
We provided an arena for 'competition' that the general public, who 'didn't even know tournaments existed', could join using the Switch they have at home.
With the cooperation of Colloid Inc. (Location: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Representative: Takashi Sano), we proved through an actual experience integrating English education that games can become an entry point for 'connection' and 'learning'.
■ 40 people in a candy store. Cramped, noisy, but everyone was smiling.
'We are going to hold an e-sports tournament at a candy store.'
When we announced this, the reaction from everyone around was uniform confusion: 'Huh?'
However, when the day actually came,
Against a quota of 20, over 30 children gathered.
Including parents, nearly 40 people crowded into the small candy store.
The venue was 'Magical Candy Store Minami Tirol-do' in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture.
The heat of 40 people swirled in a store that is by no means spacious.
Physically, it was a 'cramped' and 'noisy' situation.
But there was a rare 'original landscape of the community' in modern times, where adults and children alike were all staring at the same screen and laughing.
■ Breaking the status quo of 'Do they even have tournaments?', a challenge with the Nintendo Switch
Currently, e-sports is rapidly spreading, but in the general public, especially among the child-rearing generation, the honest reality is 'Are there really tournaments for Fortnite?'. Games are still seen as 'the enemy of studying', and the existence of the competitive scene and community beyond that is not widely known.
Also, the 'equipment gap' that authentic e-sports requires expensive gaming PCs (*1 Usage rate is only 8.2%) is a huge wall. Aiming to drastically lower the high wall of e-sports competition, we insisted on participation using the 'usual Nintendo Switch' for this tournament.
Entering a tournament with the controller you are used to. That single step transforms the sigh of 'all you do is play games' into the aspiration of a competitor who says 'I want to get better'. Having them first know a place where children can shine with what they are 'good at' was our first step.
*1 Iko-yo Soken detailed report
■ The true intent of introducing English conversation: The moment 'play' shatters the hurdle of being 'bad at it'
We had Colloid Inc. cooperate with us.
The reason we introduced the 'English-only rule' to the tournament was not simply for an English conversation lesson.
It was to let parents witness the moment when the high hurdle of 'English = difficult study' is easily cleared by their beloved 'Game = what I'm good at'.
Children who initially hesitated, saying 'I don't understand English', frantically shouted English words to win and to convey messages to their teammates.
To turn the concern of 'all you do is play games' into the surprise of 'you can work this hard if it's a game'.
I believe that the actual experience of 'play' sublimating into 'learning' is the only way to rewrite parents' common sense.
The English practice scene on the day became one of the highlights of this tournament.
■ The underlying strength of a community that turns even trouble into 'play'
On the day, due to connection loads exceeding expectations, communication troubles and breaker trips occurred, delaying the progression by over an hour. However, what happened there was not dissatisfaction, but 'mutual assistance'.
Children who couldn't match up helped with the YouTube stream and immediately switched to cheering for their friends with all their might. Not a single person dropped out, and an encore call of 'One more time!' erupted from the entire venue at the end because of the magic of the place called the magical candy store and the strong sense of unity born from the game.
Click here for scenes from the event
e-sports x Magical Candy Store
■ Message from Representative Yasuyuki Makita
From left: Makita, City Councilor Kazuya Yamashita, CEO Sano
On the day, Ikoma City Councilor Kazuya Yamashita also inspected the event, and I believe he felt the potential of the children.
'Games are tools for connection and entry points to smiles. That scene where 40 people gathered in a candy store and laughed together cannot be explained by the phrase "games are bad".
When adults understand their value and stand by them, games become the best educational materials.
We want to spread this to communities all over Japan, turning the gravity of children's "likes" into "learning that connects to the world". We are already moving towards the next event. To continue this activity, we are looking for sponsors who will join us and companions to host it together.
■ Company Overview
LLC
Against a capacity of 20 people, nearly 40 people in total, including over 30 children and their parents, attended.
We provided an arena for 'competition' that the general public, who 'didn't even know tournaments existed', could join using the Switch they have at home.
With the cooperation of Colloid Inc. (Location: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Representative: Takashi Sano), we proved through an actual experience integrating English education that games can become an entry point for 'connection' and 'learning'.
■ 40 people in a candy store. Cramped, noisy, but everyone was smiling.
'We are going to hold an e-sports tournament at a candy store.'
When we announced this, the reaction from everyone around was uniform confusion: 'Huh?'
However, when the day actually came,
Against a quota of 20, over 30 children gathered.
Including parents, nearly 40 people crowded into the small candy store.
The venue was 'Magical Candy Store Minami Tirol-do' in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture.
The heat of 40 people swirled in a store that is by no means spacious.
Physically, it was a 'cramped' and 'noisy' situation.
But there was a rare 'original landscape of the community' in modern times, where adults and children alike were all staring at the same screen and laughing.
■ Breaking the status quo of 'Do they even have tournaments?', a challenge with the Nintendo Switch
Currently, e-sports is rapidly spreading, but in the general public, especially among the child-rearing generation, the honest reality is 'Are there really tournaments for Fortnite?'. Games are still seen as 'the enemy of studying', and the existence of the competitive scene and community beyond that is not widely known.
Also, the 'equipment gap' that authentic e-sports requires expensive gaming PCs (*1 Usage rate is only 8.2%) is a huge wall. Aiming to drastically lower the high wall of e-sports competition, we insisted on participation using the 'usual Nintendo Switch' for this tournament.
Entering a tournament with the controller you are used to. That single step transforms the sigh of 'all you do is play games' into the aspiration of a competitor who says 'I want to get better'. Having them first know a place where children can shine with what they are 'good at' was our first step.
*1 Iko-yo Soken detailed report
■ The true intent of introducing English conversation: The moment 'play' shatters the hurdle of being 'bad at it'
We had Colloid Inc. cooperate with us.
The reason we introduced the 'English-only rule' to the tournament was not simply for an English conversation lesson.
It was to let parents witness the moment when the high hurdle of 'English = difficult study' is easily cleared by their beloved 'Game = what I'm good at'.
Children who initially hesitated, saying 'I don't understand English', frantically shouted English words to win and to convey messages to their teammates.
To turn the concern of 'all you do is play games' into the surprise of 'you can work this hard if it's a game'.
I believe that the actual experience of 'play' sublimating into 'learning' is the only way to rewrite parents' common sense.
The English practice scene on the day became one of the highlights of this tournament.
■ The underlying strength of a community that turns even trouble into 'play'
On the day, due to connection loads exceeding expectations, communication troubles and breaker trips occurred, delaying the progression by over an hour. However, what happened there was not dissatisfaction, but 'mutual assistance'.
Children who couldn't match up helped with the YouTube stream and immediately switched to cheering for their friends with all their might. Not a single person dropped out, and an encore call of 'One more time!' erupted from the entire venue at the end because of the magic of the place called the magical candy store and the strong sense of unity born from the game.
Click here for scenes from the event
e-sports x Magical Candy Store
■ Message from Representative Yasuyuki Makita
From left: Makita, City Councilor Kazuya Yamashita, CEO Sano
On the day, Ikoma City Councilor Kazuya Yamashita also inspected the event, and I believe he felt the potential of the children.
'Games are tools for connection and entry points to smiles. That scene where 40 people gathered in a candy store and laughed together cannot be explained by the phrase "games are bad".
When adults understand their value and stand by them, games become the best educational materials.
We want to spread this to communities all over Japan, turning the gravity of children's "likes" into "learning that connects to the world". We are already moving towards the next event. To continue this activity, we are looking for sponsors who will join us and companions to host it together.
■ Company Overview
LLC