Play Inside a Picture Book at PLAY! PARK ERIC CARLE

On the eighth floor of Futako Tamagawa Rise, a shopping centre in south-west Tokyo, there is an indoor play park built around the picture books of Eric Carle, the author of the much-loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

It is called PLAY! PARK ERIC CARLE, and it is meant for children from birth to twelve years old, together with the adults who bring them. According to the operator, it is the only kids’ park in the world built around the world of Eric Carle’s picture books.

I have not yet visited with my own children. But when I read on the official site that there is no other place like it anywhere in the world, I wanted to share it with families who may be planning a trip to Japan.

This guide is based on the park’s official information as of October 2026, and it gathers the things that are useful to know before you book.

Check This First: Adults Cannot Enter on Their Own!

Two rules decide whether this park fits your travel plans.

Adults cannot enter on their own. Since 1 November 2024, the park no longer admits adults without children, for the safety of the young visitors. If you love Eric Carle’s books but are travelling without children, this is not the place for you
Each adult may bring up to three children of primary school age or younger, and the accompanying adult must be 20 or older. There is no limit on the number of adults with a child

Babies under one year old enter free, but the adult with them still needs a ticket.

What Is Inside?

The park opened in November 2021, the year Eric Carle passed away.

It was developed by the Tokyu group, the railway and property company behind Futako-Tamagawa itself, and it takes its themes from the things his books keep returning to: making, discovering, playing and growing.

According to the official site, the floor is divided into nine areas, and children can move freely between them.

A green maze, a small labyrinth of hedges for children to find their way through
An athletic area with climbing equipment from HAGS, a Swedish playground maker
Automata, mechanical toys that move when you turn them, which children tend to watch for longer than adults expect
An atelier for making things. More than thirty workshops change from day to day, and most do not need a reservation
A discovery zone with hands-on exhibits about animals and insects — fitting, for an author whose characters are so often caterpillars, spiders and crickets
A baby area with priority for children under two, with a nursing room, a nappy-changing table and a water dispenser
A large moon installation, and a quiet corner for reading and resting

Taking photographs is allowed, as long as you are careful about other families’ children in the frame.

Prices and Weekend Sessions

Adults and children pay the same price. A family of two adults and one child needs three tickets.

The prices below were checked on the official site on 7 October 2026 and include tax.

Weekdays: ¥2,600, open 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30). You can stay as long as you like
Weekends, holidays and busy periods: the day is split into three sessions, and you leave at the end of yours
- Session 1, 10:00 to 12:30: ¥2,800
- Session 2, 13:00 to 15:30: ¥2,800
- Session 3, 16:00 to 20:00: ¥2,500
High season: ¥3,000
Drink bar: ¥300
Under one year old: free

Ticket holders for Session 1 on weekends may enter from 9:30. Prices, high-season dates and session times are set by the park and can change. Please check the official website for the latest information.

How Do You Book? Buy Ahead, Especially at Weekends

Tickets are sold online for a specific date and time slot, through the Japanese booking site Asoview!. Tickets for the following month go on sale on the first day of each month.

Please note: same-day entry is possible only when there is space left, and when the park is full, same-day tickets are not sold. For a weekend visit, booking ahead is the safe choice.

One practical point for visitors from abroad: the official site and the booking pages are in Japanese only. Your browser’s translation function will carry you through, but it is worth booking a day or two early rather than on the morning of the visit. Cancellation is possible on the booking site until your entry time; changing to a different date is not.

How to buy tickets — PLAY! PARK ERIC CARLE official site (Japanese only) →

Good to Know Before You Go

Shoes come off at the entrance, so shoes that are easy to slip on and off will make life easier
For safety, the park recommends that children take off their socks as well, to avoid slipping
No food may be brought in. Drinks are fine in plastic bottles, flasks and baby cups. Food bought at the park’s own snack stand, HUNGRY STAND, may be eaten in the seating area
Leaving and coming back is allowed within your time slot. Keep your receipt to show at the entrance
Pushchairs can be left near the entrance, and there are free lockers, though not many
Toilets are outside the park, on the same eighth floor of the shopping centre
No pets, and there are no disability or senior discounts

The Shop Is Open Without a Ticket

Good news for Eric Carle fans: next to the park is HUNGRY MARKET, a shop selling picture books and Eric Carle goods. You do not need an admission ticket to use the shop. If your children are older, or your schedule is full, a short visit to the shop alone is still a pleasant stop in Futako-Tamagawa.

Practical Information

Name: PLAY! PARK ERIC CARLE
Address: Futako Tamagawa Rise, 8F, 2-21-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya City, Tokyo
Hours: weekdays 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30); weekends and holidays in three sessions
Closed: New Year’s Day and irregular days announced on the official site
Ages: 0 to 12, with an adult aged 20 or older. Adults alone cannot enter
Tickets: online, date and time specified; same-day only if space remains
Parking: the shopping centre car park. Park visitors receive three hours free on their parking ticket

Opening hours, closing days and prices can change. Please check the official site before you set out.

Getting There

The park is directly connected to Futako-Tamagawa Station on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line and the Tokyu Oimachi Line. From Shibuya, the Den-en-toshi Line takes you there in roughly fifteen minutes, depending on the train. On a rainy day, you barely need an umbrella from the platform to the eighth floor.

If the weather clears, the bank of the Tama River is a few minutes’ walk from the station, and it is a wide, open place for children who still have energy left.

→ Another place in west Tokyo where children are the main guests: Where Tokyo Children Learn to Ride: Suginami Children’s Traffic Park

Who Is This Place For?

Children who love The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Families looking for an indoor plan with a small child on a rainy day (temples and gardens are lovely in the rain for adults, but for a four-year-old they are mostly a long walk)
Parents who grew up with Eric Carle’s books themselves and would like to share that world with their own children

This is not a sightseeing spot, and it is not a place for adults on their own.

But for a family with a small child and a wet day in Tokyo, a few hours in a picture book may be exactly the right size.

Note: The information in this article is based on the park’s official site as of October 2026. Prices, session times and rules are set by the park and can change. Please check the official site before visiting and follow the instructions of the staff.