Table of Contents

• A place for people to meet and interact in a peaceful, forest-like setting, “Chuo Book Forest
• Eating, drinking, and chatting are both allowed. You can run around on the large lawn at “Machi Library @ MUFG PARK”.
• Yui no Mori Arakawa” from “play” for infants to “learning” for junior high school students
• Space for children “Picture and Word Library Micka

A place for people to meet and interact in a peaceful, forest-like setting , “Chuo Book Forest

　The unique design of the “Book Forest Chuo,” which looks like a stack of green-filled terraces, is eye-catching. It opened in 2022 as a complex facility with the Chuo City Kyobashi Library and the Chuo City Local History Museum, as well as a multipurpose hall and café.

　The Children’s Corner on the second floor has 46,000 children’s books, 900 picture story shows, and 10,000 materials for teens. Next to the Children’s Corner is the “Life Corner” with books on childcare, housework, hobbies, travel, etc., allowing parents and children to enjoy their favorite books in the same space.

　The glass-walled “Ohanashi no Heya” is a space where parents can relax and become familiar with picture books by reading to their children. Every Tuesday and Saturday, “storytelling sessions” are held for different age groups. Next to the “Ohanashi no Heya” is a terrace where you can take off your shoes and relax, and on sunny days, you can see many parents and children enjoying picture books here.

　At the “Multi-purpose Hall” on the first floor, various events are held for children, such as “Storytime” and “Children’s Science Class,” workshops of Hyakunin Isshu and Karuta, and lectures by picture book authors. In addition, a “mini planetarium” event is held for adults and children to enjoy together. Once a month, a star gazing event using an astronomical telescope is held at the rooftop garden on the 6th floor.

The Chuo City Kyobashi Library is a historical library founded in the Meiji Era and boasts a collection of approximately 400,000 volumes on four floors from the 2nd to 5th floor. 16 special exhibition areas display materials by theme, so you may encounter a new genre of book.

　There is a café and lounge inside the facility, and benches are set up in the “Gutsu-no-mori” forest surrounded by greenery on the second floor, where you can eat and drink. parents and children can enjoy reading together while taking a break.

Facility Information
Chuo City Kyobashi Library Book Forest Chuo
1-13-14 Shintomi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access 1 min. walk from Hatchobori Sta. on JR/Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
(For more information about access, click here)
https://www.library.city.chuo.tokyo.jp/contents?2&pid=11
03-3551-2151
Open Hours Monday-Saturday 9:00-21:00 Sunday and national holidays 9:00-17:00
Closed 3rd Thursday of the month, year-end and New Year holidays, and other temporary closures for special arrangement and facility maintenance.

Eating, drinking, and chatting are both allowed. You can run around on the large lawn at “Machi Library @ MUFG PARK”.

　The “Machi Library@MUFG PARK” is a library located in MUFG PARK, a community exchange facility of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which opened in 2023.

　The “Machi Library” is a private library created by citizens who bring books to the library based on the concept of a “community library that connects people through books and nurtures them together. All books in the collection are donated, and in the pocket on the back cover of each book is an “impression card” with a message from the donor. The next person who reads the book can freely fill in the comments and add their own impressions to the card.

　Eating, drinking, and chatting are allowed in the museum, so even if you have small children with you, there is no need to worry about “keeping them quiet. The library also holds regular “Children’s Supporter Meetings” for children up to junior high school age. At the meetings, children introduce themselves to each other using books, discuss what they would like to do at the library, and hold child-led events.

　With many schools nearby, many children visit, studying, playing with friends, and spending their time as they wish.

　The kids’ corner has cushions for small children and babies to relax and unwind. Events that parents and children can enjoy together, such as eurhythmics in English, storytelling, Rakugo with old stories, and programming for parents and children, are also held from time to time, and members can organize their own events.

　You can also read books in the museum on the lawn or terrace, so parents and children can enjoy reading books while feeling the seasons or running around as much as they like. Why don’t you go out on a sunny day and enjoy a picnic?

Facility Information
Machi Library @ MUFG PARK
4-4-40 Yanagisawa, Nishi-Tokyo-shi, Tokyo
Access From JR Kichijoji, Mitaka, Musashisakai Stations, take Kanto Bus and get off at “Musashino Daigaku” stop.
From Higashifushimi Station on Seibu Shinjuku Line, take Hana Bus and get off at “Musashino Daigaku” stop.
Seibu Shinjuku Line, Seibu Yanagisawa Station 15-minute walk.
(For more information about access, click here)
https://machi-library.org/where/detail/8096/
090-1304-0343
Hours: 10:00-17:30
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays (also closed on national holidays) Year-end and New Year holidays
https://machi-library.org/

Yui no Mori Arakawa” from “play” for infants to “learning” for junior high school students

　The Yui no Mori Arakawa, which opened in 2017, combines Arakawa Ward’s Central Library, the Memorial Literature Museum for Arakawa Ward-born novelist Akira Yoshimura, and a children’s plaza.

　The “Ehonkan” on the first floor of the Central Library holds approximately 30,000 picture books for children and adults of all ages. The library has approximately 900 various reading seats, allowing visitors to enjoy reading without worrying about time.

　Surrounded by shelves of picture books, Yunomori Hall is open for movie screenings, lectures, and other events, and when there are no events being held, it is open for users to spend time freely. Parents, children, and families can sit side by side on the comfortable seats and enjoy picture books together.

　Children’s Plaza is divided into the “Play Lounge” and the “Learning Lounge.” The Play Lounge on the first floor is for children from 0 years old to preschool age. The play area is divided into two areas according to developmental stages, allowing parents, children, and families to spend time together in peace. It is also a communication space where parents can casually interact with other parents while their children play, and feel free to consult with the resident childcare staff about childcare.

　The “Learning Lounge” on the second floor is an area for elementary and junior high school students. Visitors can enjoy experiments with experience kits that allow them to learn science while playing, participate in craft workshops, and watch lunar eclipses and other phenomena on observation days.

　There is also a café inside the museum where visitors can bring in books to read before borrowing them, making for a full day of fun. The library also offers temporary infant care (on an hourly basis) for parents using the library (advance registration and reservations are required).
　Both regularly and irregularly, various events are held for parents and families to enjoy together, so be sure to check the website or the library’s official X before going out.

Facility Information
Yui no Mori Arakawa
2-50-1 Arakawa, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo
Access 1 minute walk from Arakawa 2-chome (Yui no Mori Arakawa-mae) stop on Toden Arakawa Line 8 minute walk from Machiya Station on Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line/Keisei Line
(For more information about access, click here)
https://www.yuinomori.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp/contents?pid=161
03-3891-4349 (Hours: 9:00-20:30)
Hours: 9:00-20:30
Closed: 3rd Thursday of each month, facility inspection days, year-end and New Year holidays, and library collection inspection periods
https://www.yuinomori.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp /index.html

A space for children “Library of Pictures and Words: Micca”.

　A small library for children, “Picture and Word Library MIKKA” is located in a commercial building in front of Kameari Station on the JR Joban Line. What makes it different from most libraries is that adults (16 years and older) alone are not allowed to enter, and books are not checked out.
　*On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., the library is open to adults only as “Adult Micka”!

　Because Mikka is a shoe-less space, it is comfortable for crawling babies and children who have just begun to walk.

　The museum, designed to be “an everyday place that respects children as they are,” has bookshelves, a reading space, atelier, theater, and gallery, where children can spend their time wherever they like. Another feature of the museum is that there are no “prohibited” signs in the building. The management of the museum is based on being close to children and having a dialogue with them.

　We are particular about the selection of books, and carefully select books from all over the world that “have no correct answers according to someone else’s standards, and that liberate the imagination. Some of the books are not children’s books. Because we do not lend them out, the books are not film-coated. Children can enjoy not only the contents of the books but also the texture and color of the paper.

　The theater and atelier offer programs such as picture book readings, crafts, and music, with performances by picture book authors, rakugo storytellers, comedians, musicians, designers, and other expressive people. The atelier has seasonal craft kits available for visitors to enjoy crafting at their leisure, and craft events are also held by reservation only.

　Children who come to “Micka” spend their time alone in the world of picture books and crafts, enjoy picture books with their parents and children, or play with toys and card games with their friends. It may be fun to put yourself in the space for children together and see where their interests and imagination take them.

　The website offers “Ouchi-Mikka,” content that can be enjoyed at home, such as coloring, crafts, and videos, which may give you an idea of how to play at home.

Facility Information
Picture and Word Library Micka
3-26-1 Kameari, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, Japan Lirio-kan 7F
Access 30 second walk from Kameari Station on the JR Joban Line
(For details about access, click here)
https://micca.me/howtouse/
03-6662-4315
Admission 10:00-18:00
Closed Mondays and 4th Thursday (or following day if Monday is a holiday), New Year’s holidays and holidays of Lirio Museum
Fee: 200 yen per day for parents and junior high school students (free for elementary school students and younger)
https://micca.me/

A tour of libraries that expands the world of both children and adults, offering a little extra something.

　We have selected libraries where children and adults alike can expand their interests and imagination even further. A trip to a different library may not only lead you to new books, but may also open the door to a new world of fun, learning, and discovery. You do not have to live or work in Tokyo to use any of these facilities, so please consider them as potential holiday destinations.