Takara Miniature Buildings


A little army of traditional Japanese houses have ended up in my house. Of course I am obsessed with them because they are supremely tiny. And so well made.

Manufactured by Takara in 2003, the houses are actually different types of commercial buildings: a Chinese restaurant, barber, candy shop, seafood shop, and general shop. They each came packaged with stickers that have photo-real imagery -- they really bring the buildings alive.





The are quite sturdy and snap easily together.






Neat, right? The Chinese restaurant even came with a bulb and lights up!


I'm not sure what I will do with them yet. Perhaps display them along with other mini houses I have accumulated over the years. Have I ever shared my 1950s drive-in diner??



Makes me smile.

By the way, I have been on the lookout for a 1:144 scale house set by Re-ment, which came out briefly in 2008:

Photo courtesy of the Re-ment Addicts Flickr group

Amazing, right? They are quite rare and I've seen them go for $300 (nuts)! Should you ever come across a set, do let me know!