These five otedama, or silk bags filled with rice, are part of a game. There are four red and white beanbags and one yellow. The game is played by tossing the yellow beanbag into the air and picking up the other bags before it lands, in a manner similar to "jacks."
They were donated to the Boston Children's Museum by Mr. Jiro Nanbu of the Citizens of Kyoto, Japan in 1976 to honor the Boston–Kyoto Sister City relationship and the move of The Japanese House to Boston.