He inserted the coin. He turned the crank with the force of a sumo wrestler. Plonk. The plastic capsule fell into the tray. He cracked it open.

The park wasn’t just grass and swings. In Japan, a park is a stage. Under a large zelkova tree, a group of boys were playing Kamen Rider —running in circles, screaming transformation phrases. A girl named Yui sat on a bench, not playing, but drawing.

“Ready?” asked his mother, Rina, holding up her smartphone.