"Part ways with your child at the station and hop straight on the train." The ideal form of dual-income parenting I saw in Nagareyama City.

On rainy days and under the scorching midsummer sun.
Dropping off children at nursery school by bicycle and then dashing straight to the station.

"I'm going to be late again..." "I'm sick of going into meetings drenched in sweat..."

There are truly many people in Takatsuki City who start their workday in that state every morning.

The commute home is another dash to pick them up. Dinner, bath time, putting them to bed. Before I know it, I have zero time for myself.

That struggle that has become "the norm"—it should be possible to reduce it a little.

I recently visited Nagareyama City in Chiba Prefecture. It is a city that is seriously investing in "balancing work and child-rearing." Seeing the difference from Takatsuki City firsthand, I felt more strongly than ever that "this is something we must propose."

Why did Nagareyama City become a "city of choice"?

First, let me organize the background.

With the opening of the Tsukuba Express (TX) in 2005, Nagareyama City's population surged fromapproximately 150,000 to 215,000.The increase is particularly amongdual-income households in their 30s and 40s and their children.

Why are they chosen? Because the city has a clear strategy.

"Thoroughly invest in an environment that makes it easy to balance work and child-rearing."

This is not just a slogan. They are turning their budget into concrete systems. I will introduce three of those components.

Point 1: Part ways with your child at the station and hop straight on the train.

Nagareyama City's "Childcare Pick-up and Drop-off Station"

Nagareyama City hastwostations where you can drop off your children right next to the train station.

• Otakanomori Station: Nagareyama-otakanomori Station East Exit, directly connected to the station building

• Minami-Nagareyama Station: 1-minute walk from Minami-Nagareyama Station Exit A21-minute walk

You can drop them off starting at 7:00 AM, and a bus will take them to their respective nursery schools. In the evening, they return via the reverse route. Parents just part ways with their children at the station and hop straight on the train.

The cost is 100 yen per day. 2,000 yen per month.

Furthermore, the target facilities include66 locationswithin the city. All nursery schools located more than 500m from the station are eligible. It can also be used on Saturdays, and they accommodate up to 8:00 PM.

The current situation in Takatsuki City
Takatsuki City also has a system called "pick-up and drop-off childcare."

However, the content is completely different.

Takatsuki City's station is set up exclusively for children enrolled in the Sangamaki Certified Center for Early Childhood Education and Care. The purpose of its establishment is to "promote the use of one specific facility," and it is not designed with the idea of "reducing the morning burden on dual-income parents."

Having to go to a location 8 to 10 minutes away from the station on foot means that parents may sometimes have to move in the opposite direction of their commute.

This is not a problem of facility scale, but a problem of design philosophy regarding "who the system is for."a problem of design philosophy regarding "who the system is for".

Point 2: Resolving the anxiety of "Will my child be accepted?" through the system

Nagareyama City's 3-layer structure
Have you ever felt anxious about your child's development or behavioral characteristics, wondering, "Will they be properly looked after at this nursery?"

Nagareyama City addresses this issue with a set of three mechanisms.

① Securing approximately 6% of capacity as "slots for children requiring special support"
They prevent the situation where children with developmental characteristics are told "no nursery will accept them" through system design.

② City psychologists conduct interviews before enrollment
The city interviews parents, organizes information such as "this child needs this kind of support," and conveys it to the accepting nursery. Parents do not need to explain everything from scratch.

③ Financial guarantees for accepting nurseries
●Standard: 100,000 yen per month addition
●Severe: 150,000 yen per month addition

With this addition, the city guarantees the personnel costs for "additional childcare staff." The nursery's problem of "wanting to accept them but lacking the manpower" is also solved with money.

The current situation in Takatsuki City
A subsidy system for additional childcare staff also exists in Takatsuki City. However, specifying the ratio of slots for children requiring special support, institutionalizing pre-enrollment interviews by city psychologists, and the level of additional payments, these three points are not set together.

If these three layers are in place, the situation for families who are searching for a nursery while anxious about whether their child will be accepted will change fundamentally.

Point 3: Salaries that make childcare workers think, "I want to work in Takatsuki"

Nagareyama City's serious figures
Nagareyama City adds 43,000 yen per month to the salaries of regular childcare workers at private nurseries, funded solely by the city.

That is about 520,000 yen annually. This is not "PR about job satisfaction" or "scholarship support." It is the most clear-cut talent retention strategy of directly increasing monthly take-home pay.

To prevent the outflow of talent to neighboring Tokyo, the city is seriously investing money.

Current situation and evaluation of Takatsuki City
Takatsuki City also has support for childcare workers.

The "Childcare Worker Scholarship Repayment Support Program" is a system that subsidizes a portion of scholarship repayments for childcare workers and others working full-time at private certified centers for early childhood education and care, licensed nursery schools, etc., within the city.

Starting in fiscal year 2026, the payment period has been extended to a maximum of 10 years (120 months). The payment limit is 20,000 yen per month, or 240,000 yen per year.

This is a certain step forward. I also appreciate this expansion.

However, the challenges are also clear.

• The target is limited to "people currently repaying scholarships"

• The 20,000 yen per month is less than half of Nagareyama City's 43,000 yen per month

• It is an indirect form of repayment assistance, not an increase in monthly salary

Currently, there is a nationwide "competition for talent in childcare" taking place. To win against neighboring municipalities like Osaka City and Toyonaka City, improving working conditions that directly impact monthly take-home pay is an urgent task.

An environment where childcare workers can continue to work in Takatsuki with peace of mind is directly linked to protecting the daily safety and smiles of the children.

Finally

Nagareyama City's initiatives are not a story of "being able to do it because the finances are wealthy."

It is the result of clarifying "for whom and for what purpose the money is used."

Takatsuki City can do it too.

I will specifically address the three proposals I shared today in future general questions and budget deliberations.

So that your every morning becomes a little easier. Together, we will make it happen.

Please let me hear your voice

"Can't the nursery school my child attends use a shuttle bus?" "Will they properly accept a child whose development is a concern?" "What is the situation with childcare workers' salaries in Takatsuki City?"

Whether it's about child-rearing or commuting and pick-up/drop-off, any feedback is very welcome. Please let me hear it.

👇 Click here for the NOTE question box https://note.com/qa/genki_morimoto

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Nobuyuki Morimoto | Takatsuki City Council Member
From May 2026: Chair of the Civic City Committee,
Member of the Special Committee on Historic Site Development and Utilization, Member of the City Planning Council.
First-Class Civil Engineering Construction Management Engineer, Disaster Prevention Specialist.
Born and raised in Takatsuki.
Aoi Tori Kindergarten → Shimizu Elementary → The Ninth Junior High → Setsuryo High School → Osaka Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering