[Tokyo Skytree Station → Dokkyo Daigaku-mae <Soka Matsubara> Station (Seicomart / etc.)] Casual Strolls with Kids #10
Bokusetu Mukojima | A Guide to Casual Strolls with Kids
Hello to those who are new here, and hello again to those who have been here before.
In this article, I will write about a walking course for those with children or those interested in this area.
🍡 The Goal of This Stroll
The Jonan area, especially Sumida Ward, is actually a place that is easy to travel to from both the Chiba and Saitama directions.
There are already many wonderful notes, blogs, and Instagram posts about the city center. Therefore, in this Note, I would like to occasionally interweave detours toward the Chiba and Saitama areas.
During my childcare leave, there were several places my family visited again and again for some reason.
Among them, the one that left a deep impression was Dokkyo Daigaku-mae <Soka Matsubara> Station, next to Soka Station.
……Having said that, the destination is not a huge theme park or a tourist attraction, but
a small retail store. If you have ties to Hokkaido, you might understand with just these words.
Hot Chef.
For those who don't know, the store's name is Seicomart.
The popular series of food cooked in-store is called Hot Chef.
(Hot, fast, and delicious—a 'life ally')
This episode is about the Soka area as a detour where 'the purpose is small, but the satisfaction is great.'
🍡 Plan (Pine/Bamboo/Plum)
📍Google My Maps (Recommended to save)
For this stroll, I have summarized the 'points' + 'restrooms/breaks' for Plum/Bamboo/Pine on a map.
Please use it to 'shorten' your trip depending on your mood that day.
My Maps: LINK
Plum (90 minutes) | Soka Station → Hot Chef → Retreat (Winning just by doing this)
Arrive at Soka Station
Buy Hot Chef at Seicomart
Return to the station and retreat (Success if the way home is peaceful)
Bamboo (150 minutes) | Mix in 'walking' from the Soka Matsubara (Dokkyo Daigaku-mae) side
Get off at Dokkyo Daigaku-mae <Soka Matsubara> (*Soka Station is also fine)
Walk to Seicomart while glancing at the university campus atmosphere
Hot Chef → Station → Retreat
Pine (240 minutes) | Mix in a little bit of Soka's "daily life" (Soka senbei, etc.)
Get off at Soka Station
Hot Chef + a little bit of "Soka-style" shopping
On days when you have extra energy, add one detour before heading back
(*For "ambitious days." If the return trip looks like it might get rough, I'll cut it short at Take.)
*If you want to mix in "Soka-style" things like Soka senbei, it's easier to start from Soka Station.
🍡 Rough route outline (assuming on-the-day adjustments)
Head north on the Tobu Skytree Line (it starts to feel a bit like a trip once you pass Kita-Senju)
The station facilities both inside and outside the ticket gates at Kita-Senju Station are quite extensive, and they often sell things like dango
Soka Station or Dokkyo Daigaku-mae <Soka Matsubara> Station
Seicomart (Hot Chef)
🐧 Points to avoid getting "stuck" (to ensure today goes reasonably well)
1) The goal is small
If the destination is just "one shop," the success criteria are light, so there's a sense that once you get there, it's mission accomplished.
2) Hot Chef provides a "warm break"
Even if the kids don't sleep, or if they get cranky,
you can feel very happy if you manage to buy Hot Chef at the end. If nothing else, even just the Hot Chef salted mackerel rice ball is great, so please try it.
(I remember being able to buy it for less in the past, but prices have gone up.
Even so, "warm" is powerful.)
3) The Soka Matsubara (Dokkyo Daigaku-mae) route has a slightly different view
Going from Soka Station is fine too.
But if you walk from the Soka Matsubara side, there's the atmosphere of the university campus, and if you step off the main path a bit, there are rice cracker shops, so there's room to snack on various things, and the lingering feeling on the way home is a bit different.
It's a bit of a vibe that reminds me of my student days, you could say
Avoiding Rain and Crowds (Tips for this stroll) | 3-Line Parent Tips
Keep goals small: A single shop makes it a win
In summer, assume you'll be drinking water. It's quite sunny. Since there are no tall buildings on the path
Adopt the "if the trip home is peaceful, it's a success" rule from the start
Town Guide & Local Memories (History, Culture, Content)
Although Seicomart is originally a local convenience store chain from Hokkaido, there are actually several in Saitama Prefecture.
Because there is a ferry route between Tomakomai and Oarai, I have debated with friends from Sapporo or those who have lived there long enough to be pseudo-Sapporo citizens whether the logistics might be connected, but regardless, I'm happy as long as there's a Seicomart there.
Seicomart has long been rooted in Hokkaido, staying close to daily life, and is said to have high customer satisfaction.
It's not about the flashiness of the big chains, but rather a gentle approach toward "reducing life's little troubles." I've even heard stories of them opening a store in a village of only a few hundred people where the only shop had closed down.
Hot Chef is the symbol of that.
In parenting life, too, rather than flashy wins,
there are many days when "reducing troubles" is what saves your heart.
That's why I like these kinds of detours.
FAQ (Just 3)
Q. Can I go with a stroller?
A. Yes, you can!
Q. Should I get off at Soka Station or Dokkyo Daigaku-mae (Soka Matsubara)?
A. Personally, I'd like you to try getting off at Dokkyo Daigaku-mae at least once.
Q. How do you judge today's success?
A. I've decided that if the trip home is peaceful, today's stroll is a success.
🍡 To you, someday: Stroll notes
More than the days I went to big places,
I feel like I remember the "days I bought Hot Chef and went home" better.
The "journey" of parenting is probably just like that.
Even if you can't go far, if you can shift your world just a little, that's enough.
🍡 Today's Dango note
Today it wasn't dango, but Hot Chef.
When you hold something warm in your hands, a parent's shoulders drop just a little.
I'll carve that into my heart once more—that it makes the trip home more likely to be peaceful—and then walk the happy path home.
Request for support
If you find this article helpful, your support (tips, etc.) on note will help me keep going🍡
Questions accepted: LINK
Next episode preview
While I continue to write about city center trips, I would like to increase the number of "not-so-far trips" to the Chiba and Saitama areas a bit more.
(Conditions that are unlikely to lead to a dead end with children will continue to be my top priority.)