Jidoukan Closeup – Shibaura Island

Children and Senior Citizens Plaza, Minato-ku

The original plan was to go to the Minato Hotto Room jidoukan but a police officer at a koban near Tamachi Station told us that facility might have closed down so he directed us to the new Children and Senior Citizen Plaza on Shibaura Island. It turned out to be really nice. The Children and Senior Citizen Plaza is a bright and modern four story building in a pretty newly developed area. The first two floors are the nursery schools and the third and fourth floors are different activity rooms rooms for children and senior citizens.

Right across the street from the children’s hall is the Air Terrace with a grocery store, small coffee shop, restaurant bar, spa and clinic. Not much to really explore there. But there is free space tables and chairs overlooking a small pier and the kids enjoyed walking around there and watching the water and some boats. The small port there is a stop for boats going to Odaiba and Toyosu, as well as for private charters that go around Tokyo bay.

To get to Shibaura Island by train you can get off at either Mita station on Asakusa and Mita lines, or at Tamachi station on the JR Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku lines. From Mita station, take the exit which leads towards the JR Tamachi station. There is a walkway from Mita station which leads directly to the JR Tamachi station. From Tamachi it is about a 10 minute walk to Shibaura Island, which is not a difficult stroll since the sidewalks in that area are quite wide. Both stations have elevators from platform to street level.