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.
Its funny, for all these years I thought Wakaba Walk is in Sakado, but it actually turns out its in Tsurugashima! My hairdresser is just across the road, not even 500 meters away and her address is Sakado, so that is why I always assumed that the mall is in Sakado! The same with Fujimi Chuo Kinrin, where we used to bring the kids to play on the balance beams and collect acorns. I can blame my husband for this one though – he always said it was Sakado! It is right on the border of Sakado in fairness. They are both really near the Meiji Chocolate Factory, (close enough that the waft of chocolate entices the olfactory system) and that is Sakado not Tsurugashima.
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 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 (updating in 2022). 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:
Other events
The mall also hosts several other events throughout the year, particularly music events. They also celebrate the major holidays including Western ones such as Halloween and Valentine’s day. The New Year events at Wakaba Walk are very popular with families, because their New Year events are aimed at children. In 2023 Anpanman will visit on New Years Day, January 1st. On the 2nd, they will have a road train, a D51. On the 3rd, there is a remote controlled vehicle event.
Anpanman event
Anpanman will be at Wakaba Walk on New Years Day, January 1st 2023. It is not a character show, but a meet and greet. There will three meet and greets at 10.30 am, 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm. Each time he will meet with 40 families. First come, first served. They will start distributing participation tickets at 9.30 am. This is a free event.
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.