Wakaba Walk, Fujimi Chuo Kinrin and Fujimi Ryokuchi Street are a local mall, small park and picturesque street close to Wakaba station in the city of Tsurugashima. Information for the Tsurugashima / Sakado Dezome Shiki, fire brigade festival, and events in 2026 are also included in this post.
Wakaba Walk
Wakaba Walk is an outdoor mall in Tsurugashima, a minutes walk from the Wakaba Station on the Tobu Tojo Line. It is a small mall, but nice and open and airy. It has only 56 shops. Well known stores include Yaoko, Daiso, GU, Uniqlo and Akachan Honpo Muji. Muji replaced Akachan Honpo sometime during the pandemic I guess. There is also a dentist and an ENT Doctor.
There are a few restaurants including a nice Italian restaurant and a St Marc Cafe. There is a food court, an amusement / kids center “Halos Garden” and a “United Cinemas” cinema. So it is very convenient for locals for daily necessities and a bit of entertainment too. Speaking of which, they host several events monthly, many of which are song or dance performances. The events at Wakaba Walk are very popular, particularly the New Year events.
Parking is free for the first two hours. You can get a ticket validated for a further free hour when you purchase more than 1000 yen in one shop. Cinema goers can enjoy free parking for up to 4 hours. The parking lot is open until 1am.
Christmas and New Year at Wakaba Walk
When I very first wrote this post in 2013 it was Christmas time. And back then we were starved for the real Santa, so we used to look forward to the Santa Claus statue in Wakaba annually. Even though it was just a statue! You could sit on his lap which made a nice photo. Since then, thankfully, there are dozens of places you can visit the real Santa in Saitama and the kanto plain now. Our top pick is Finland no Mori in Nasu, Tochigi.
Wakaba Walk still has the tree though, all these years later. And now they have a bit of additional Christmas illumination too. For example, they have fairy lights around the trees by the station entrance to the mall, as in the featured photo at the top of the post. They also have a few statues made of lights:
Wakaba Walk Christmas Style
Each year in December the mall has a Christmas event they call Wakaba Walk Christmas Style. It is essentially a Christmas market with dozens of food and craft booths. There is also live music. In 2026, it will most be likely be on the middle weekend of December, from 10 am to 4 pm.
Dezome Shiki
Each year in January Wakaba Walk host the Tsurugashima and Sakado collaboration Dezome Shiki. This dezome shiki is on from 9 am to 12.30, which is about an hour longer than the average dezome shiki. What I love about this one is that you can actually try out some firefighting skills for yourself. Such as climbing up the ladders. Moreover, they have a corner where children can try many different things. There are usually live performances on the day too, but the 2026 schedule is not yet available. But the date has been set and it will be on, all things equal, Sunday January 11th 2026. Official event page.
Other events
| Upcoming events at Wakaba Walk |
|---|
| Shishimai performances on Friday January 2nd. There are also comedic performances on the same day. There is a police event on Friday January 9th from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm, for 110 Day. Prisoner’s market, an annual event at the mall selling handmade goods made by inmates, is on from Friday January 16th to Sunday January 18th 2026. Base hours 9.30 am to 4 pm. |
Fujimi Chuo Kinrin Park
Fujimi Chuo Kinrin Park is just a five minute walk from Wakaba Walk. It has a small playground for children. In Autumn, the mature trees turn different shades of yellow, orange, brown and red. A two minute walk from the park is the Fujimi Ryokuchi Street…
Fujimi Ryokuchi Street
Fujimi Ryokuchi Street is a beautiful broad avenue of trees in a residential area of Tsurugashima. The avenue is split into two – one side for driving, one side for walking. They are equal in size, so the walkway is nice and broad. The street looks particularly colorful in Autumn when the various species of tree change leaf colors.
Wakaba Walk Access
Wakaba Walk is a three minute walk from Wakaba Station on the Tobu Tojo line. Parking available for more than 1200 cars. The first hour is free and after that it costs 100 yen per half hour. However, there is a maximum charge of 500 yen and if you make purchases in the mall of more than 1000 yen you can get your parking ticket validated for three hours. Cinema goers get four hours free parking.