Ario in Ageo once a great mall, now less than mediocre

I was suitably impressed with Ario mall in Ageo when it first opened. However, over the years the mall has gone completely downhill and lost most of the attractions that once made it one of Saitama’s most family friendly malls.

Ario Ageo

The only thing that really remains that is any good from when I first wrote this post is the outdoor playgrounds. Even their indoor play area, that was once fantastic, is lacklustre now. Moreover, they put a TV in the play area playing back to back DVDs. I hate seeing malls do this; Benibana Walk in Okegawa also do this. And like Benibana Walk, the only other things Ario has going for it in 2022 is its baby room and its events!

Playground

There is an outdoor playground by the Giraffe parking lot. It has the unique feature of a designated area to draw with chalk, provided for free for the children’s use.

It isn’t a huge playground, but there is more than enough to entertain young children for a half hour or so. Slides are always a favourite with my kids and this playground has six as well as climbing activities, stepping stones and a little hut.

Popjet Play area

In the summer, they have a popjet play area, where kids can play with water that jets out from the ground. Its very popular with toddlers!

Indoor play areas

There is a large amusement area (games, slot machines, anpanman machines, purikura etc) upstairs. It is a complete rip off! The crane games are totally rigged. Even the easy push type crane game that dispense sweets, rarely dispense anything. I saw online that it has hundreds of bad reviews for their crane games being way too difficult and this was our experience too.

There used to be a lovely play area for kids called Mama Smile in this area, but unfortunately that closed down in 2017. Also, Pomme Cafe which was on the first floor restaurant area, which was an ‘oyako’ (parent and child) cafe with a play area in it, also closed down before 2017.

2nd Floor Play area

The second floor play area used to be quite good, but unfortunately they destroyed that too. They moved its location, so its smaller now. And it has a TV showing back to back DVDs. Why do they do this!?

Baby Rest area

The “baby rest area” is still there and it is a nice one. It has a nursery, changing facilities (both the tape nappy and pull up type), children’s toilet, feeding area complete with high chairs with straps (a rarity in Japan), baby weighing scales and a height chart, a microwave, two burcos (clean boiled water for bottles) and 3 sinks for washing hands. There is also a “baby consultation room” there, but I’ve yet to check that out.
 

Events

The saving grace of Ario Ageo, other than having a couple of decent shops, is its events. The next events of note are over the New Year. For example, the New Year Shishimai performance on January 1st. There were will three performances at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm. Official event page. And on January 2nd 2023 there will be a Chikawa Mucha ‘photo party’. They also have a bit of night illumination from Saturday November 5th to Tuesday February 14th 2023 from 4.30 pm to 10 pm.

There are other facilities dotted here and there, like character trolleys that keep the kids entertained as you shop, small toilets for children and changing stations in the main toilets. The parking is free.