As you may or may not know, M1GO's Kodomo no Zidaikan toy museum is located in Kashiwazaki, Nigata, the site of the recent earthquake.

Thankfully, all of the staff members have been tracked down and they are okay, but there is information that the museum and/or toy collection may be damaged.

Nobody's traveling to Nigata any time soon, since the roads aren't good, hotels are closed, and utilities have been intermittent, so the exact extent of the damage isn't known right now. They're waiting until conditions improve to check things out.

I will post updates if I get any, but if you do plan on traveling to the museum this summer after things have cleared up, be sure to check their web site (http://www.zidaikan.com/) to verify that they've re-opened.

I saw that notice on the site yesterday. I am so much of a toy nerd that was the first thing I thought of when I heard the quake was in Niigata.

Oh man, I'm glad all the staff are alright, but I hope the collection is safe!

Yikes...hope there aren't any toy looters in the area.

I couldn't get a flight on such short notice.

Noooooo! That SUCKS!

Update from Matt Alt: "Word on the street is that Kodomo no Jidaikan's inner roof collapsed. No details yet, but it's definitely closed for the time being."