Summers in Japan are seriously hot. And when it gets hot, water play is the answer! There are all kinds of water toys out there, but in this post I want to take a detailed look at the BorneLund AquaPlay line available here in Japan — covering age ranges, size, creative ways to play, and a comparison with a similar product from 3COINS.
What Is BorneLund?
BorneLund is a Japanese brand that imports and sells high-quality educational toys carefully curated from around the world. With stores in department stores and shopping malls across Japan, they carry toys from over 15 countries — all meeting European safety standards.
BorneLund as a brand and retail concept is unique to Japan, but the individual toys and play equipment they sell are handpicked specifically because they genuinely support children’s growth and development. That’s what makes them so trusted.
What Age Range Is It For?
Most products list the recommended age as around 3-6 years, but personally I think you can start using it as soon as your baby can sit up on their own. There are also plenty of reviews from parents saying their elementary schoolers (around age 8) still loved it, so this is definitely a toy that grows with your child.
At ages 1 and 2, just floating boats on the water is more than enough fun. My 2-year-old youngest son finds the pump a bit tricky, but he’s completely absorbed just sending boats down the channel on their own.
The channels are nice and wide, and the set comes with a crane, so we’ve been throwing in other toys too — like a mixer truck!
My 4-year-old eldest can operate the pump and lock gates, but since his brother is playing too, they mostly just sail the boats down the channel together. Still totally engrossed!
We’ve temporarily removed the bridges and other add-on pieces to prevent things from getting snagged!
Using the full current system to transport cargo and operate everything at once is something they’ll grow into — which is exactly why I think this toy has such long-lasting appeal.
Since we only use it during the hot months, even if they get a little bored with it, we can just say “let’s do this again next summer!” That seasonal reset is actually one of the things I love about it.
We play in the shaded part of the yard!
3COINS vs BorneLund AquaPlay — Comparison
3COINS (Three Coins) is a Japanese variety goods chain with stores nationwide, originally launched in 1994 as a 300-yen fixed-price store. As the name suggests, everything used to be 300 yen (about $2) — but today the lineup has expanded well beyond that, ranging from a few hundred yen to several thousand, covering everything from home goods to small electronics. The brand is known for its muted color palette and stylish, approachable designs.
I bought the BorneLund set when my eldest was a baby. If you have siblings, I think it’s totally fine to bring it out even when the younger one is an infant — but since my eldest was my first, I kept putting it off and before I knew it, the summer season was over…
Here’s what both look like side by side.
I picked up the 3COINS version when a similar product went on sale at the end of last year for ¥800 (~$5).
It came with a Ferris wheel, which we removed during play. It’s a little big for a Japanese bathroom floor, but it does technically fit.
Here’s what they look like with both out at the same time.
Looking at the boat pieces side by side, you can clearly see the difference in build quality.
The yellow and light blue boats are the ones that came with the 3COINS set. They’re really cute in shape, but they tend to take on water when floating.
- Same basic structure as BorneLund but simpler in design
- Boats are small → they wobble and don’t travel straight
- Boats are hard to clean properly
- Connections feel like they might come apart when emptying the water
- Product lineup may change → compatibility and expandability uncertain
→ The boats tended to sink easily and water leaked more than I’d like.
- Boats are the right width → they ride the current and travel straight
- Included figures are a perfect fit with LEGO DUPLO → opens up tons of creative play possibilities
- Durable → you can dump the water out forcefully and the connections stay put
- Long-running product line → you can buy replacement or additional parts and connect sets together to expand the course (even if a piece breaks, you can keep going)
This appears to be the current 3COINS version available now. I checked it out in store, and even compared to my 2-year-old son standing nearby, it looked quite small.
This one also has a lot of small, intricate parts that are tricky to clean properly. And despite being a 3COINS product, it was priced at close to ¥4,000 (~$25).
It might go on sale toward the end of summer though!
BorneLund AquaPlay Series Guide
AquaPlay comes in several series. Choose the one that works best for where and how you plan to play!
LockBox (AQ1516) | Great for the Bathroom or Balcony
A foldable, compact design that’s easy to store. When fully open it measures approx. 84 x 50 cm (33 x 20 in) — small enough to fit in a Japanese bathroom’s washing area. When you’re done, fold it in half and all the accessories fit inside. Super convenient.
Compact and easy to store — that’s the standout feature of this one.
It works perfectly in an apartment too. I grew up without a garden, and honestly I wish I’d had something like this when I was little!
“Parallel import” means the product has been imported and sold independently, outside Japan’s official BorneLund distribution channel. It’s the same AquaPlay product sold internationally — just without the Japanese packaging or local warranty support. Often available at a lower price.
Bridge & Harbor Set (AQ1650) | What We Have at Home
This is the one we own. The channel pieces connect freely so you can design your own course layout. It comes with 2 boats, 1 car, and 4 figures — great for two or more kids playing together.
To give you a sense of the size: it’s too big for a Japanese bathroom, but works perfectly in about half a parking space worth of outdoor area.
BorneLund AquaPlay Bridge & Harbor Set
MountainLake (AQ1542) | For Big, Dynamic Play!
This one uses a slope so water flows downhill. You pump water up to send a boat through a cave, then it drops down like a waterfall — super dynamic and exciting to play with.
I actually thought I was buying this one and got confused — whoops. The official BorneLund page lists it as the No. 1 most popular product, so it must be a fan favorite!
Adventure Land | The Most Dramatic Drop!
BorneLund products are also available as parallel imports (see note above). This one lets you drop the boat from an even higher point than the MountainLake sold through official Japanese channels!
AquaPlay Adventure Land
There are so many more series in the lineup! Browsing through them with your kids to pick a favorite is a lot of fun in itself!
Creative Ways to Play
Combine It with LEGO DUPLO
The included figures (a frog and a hippo) are a perfect size match for LEGO DUPLO. Here we’re playing with a LEGO tricycle and blocks.
LEGOLAND actually has a zone where you load LEGO onto boats and float them down the water — and this recreates exactly that experience at home!
During off-season, you can use it indoors in the bath or combine it with LEGO on the floor — the play possibilities really are wide open.
Connect Multiple Sets Together
All AquaPlay series are compatible with each other, so you can connect them to create one big course. You can also buy individual channel pieces separately, so as your kids get older you can expand the layout and take the play to the next level!
The reverse works too — start small and add pieces as your kids grow. Even if a larger set feels like too much right now, you can start with a compact configuration and build it out over time. Really flexible!
Setup and Storage
Assembly
The first time takes about 20 minutes since you need to apply the waterproof seals. Once that’s done, it’s ready to go right away every time after that.
Some pieces feel stiff when connecting, but push firmly until you hear a click — that’s how you know it’s sealed and won’t leak!
Cleanup and Storage
This photo shows it on the entry stairs at home — as you can see from the original box, it’s fairly large when packed up.
Technically you’re probably supposed to take it apart and drain the water completely after each use — but in our house, we just dump the water out all at once without disassembling anything.
With the 3COINS version, the connections felt like they might come apart when draining. With BorneLund, no problem at all even when we do it forcefully.
The LockBox folds in half for storage, which makes it very easy to put away. The larger sets have more connection points, so taking them apart is a bit more of a task.
We never take ours apart — we just dump the water, let it dry, and leave it out in the yard.
When we go out, I dry it off first and store it like this in the entryway. That’s the shoe cabinet behind it!
Since packing it away every single time is a lot of work, I’d recommend deciding where you’ll use it and whether you have the storage space before you buy. For smaller indoor versions, leaning it against a wall is a perfectly fine storage solution!
Things to Know Before You Buy
- Stock sells out easily in summer — buy early!
- Decide where you’ll use it first (yard, balcony, or bathroom) and then choose the right size
- Check that you have somewhere to store it before purchasing
- As kids get older, you can buy additional pieces and expand the course
What Temperature Is Good for Outdoor Play?
Even at an outdoor temperature of 22°C (72°F) in May, we had a great time playing outside on a sunny day.
Since the water is shallow, it warms up quickly in direct sunlight. In the peak of summer, combining it with a paddling pool sounds like a lot of fun!
Wrapping Up
There’s definitely a price difference compared to the 3COINS version, but when you factor in how long it lasts and how much more you can do with it, I’m really glad we went with BorneLund AquaPlay.
The downsides? The upfront cost, and the fact that the larger sets take a little more effort to put away.
Pick the series that fits your space and how you plan to use it — and enjoy!
Thanks so much for reading all the way through!
