So would John Cage have approved? Probably not. Margaret Leng Tan, the diva of the toy piano, told PlaybillArts, "I know the Japanese have this fixation on things Lilliputian and cute, but could we possibly play it with our brobdingnagian digits? And what about the sound quality? It sounds like a very expensive gimmick.

"The toy piano works because it is a metallaphone disguised as a piano: a re-packaged glockenspiel with its own magical distinctive sound, not a real piano sound which could at best be but a poor imitation.

"In a nutshell: it's a glorified MP3 disguised as a piano!"

The mini piano costs (according to Sega Toys) 47,000 yen, or about US$400.