Recommended route
Komazawa University Station (West Exit) →
Okazucake Coven →
Brooklyn Ribbon Fries Komazawa →
Komazawa Olympic Park → Mr. Farmer →
CoCuore → Komazawa University Station
Distance: 3.2 km
Steps: 4,550
Time: 39 min + meals, relaxation
Budget: 4,000 yen
Leaving the Komazawa University station, you
will see a big street in front of you. There are
plenty of nice shops along this street, such as a
cake store “Naoki” that has the most delicious
fresh cream, or a rice ball specialty store
“Kitchen Lettuce” loved by kids. You can try
visiting these shops looking for the perfect
picnic food just for you.

1. Cakes with beef stew or napolitana?
Opened just
recently after renovation in a new
location, “Okazu Cake Coven” can be found
down the narrow street behind the station.
These cube-shaped side-dish cakes
were
invented by Youko Amako, a food coordinator.
“Easy to eat,
good looking and nutritious” is the
idea behind these cakes. The slightly sweet
cake base works well with the savory fillings,
making it a fun experience trying to choose one.

“Coven” cakes
are perfect in-between meals,
preventing overeating of sweet foods.

There are
various types of cakes to choose
from, from savory Chicken Stew (346 yen)
or
Shrimp in Chili Sauce (389 yen), to sweet
ones like Sesame Dango (324) and Chocolate
Banana Custard (410 yen).
A good choice
for energetic kids about to play
in the park would be Beef Stew cake (410 yen).
It is very nutritious with not only sauce, but
actual beef as well.
An important
aspect of these cakes is their
appealing appearance. Pictured above are the
Beef Stew (410 yen), Napolitana (324 yen)
and Onion Gratin Soup (346 yen) cakes.
The cakes are
easy to eat, as their cake base
is sturdy, and the shape and size are
convenient. Even kids can enjoy them without
the risk of getting food all over their clothes.
Okazu Cake Coven
4-5-2 Kamiuma, Setagaya-ku Tokyo
03-5431-5877
Open Thu-Sat 10:00-18:00
http://ocazucake.com/index.html
After leaving the Coven, go to a hamburger
shop near the entrance to
the Komazawa
Olympic Park.
2. Long curly
fries that look like apple peel!
The street in
front of the Komazawa Olympic
Park has everything you might need for a nice
picnic - cafes and restaurants with all sorts
of different foods for every mood
and a 100
yen store where you can find cheap picnic
supplies.
Try out a
stylish NY-style shop “Brooklyn Ribbon
Fries Komazawa” for fried potatoes enjoyed
by
both adults and children alike. You can choose
from many different flavors
of fries
themselves - like sea salt & black pepper, Cajun
spice, or cinnamon sugar - and top it all off with
a nice guacamole, chili beans or maple
mustard
dip.

Through the
windows you can see the nice and
bright inside of the store. The doors are also
wide enough for a baby stroller. You can choose
to eat in if you are not in the mood for a picnic.
The fried
potatoes are being made in an open
kitchen, so you can observe the process.
Potatoes are cut with a special cutter to make
them long and curly, and then
they are deep
fried in oil. Watching the process might be a
nice entertainment
while you are waiting for
your fries.

You can observe
fries and hamburgers being
made in the big open kitchen.
Another
recommendation would be a drink
using a special syrup made from Kumamoto
gingers.

You can buy the
special Kumamoto ginger
syrup in the store.
We recommend
trying out the combination of
Onion Gratin Soup Ribbon Fries (L size 780 yen)
and Guacamole Dip (150 yen). As for the
drinks, try the sweet Ginger Milk (400
yen) -
ginger syrup mixed with milk, or the store’s
bestseller Ginger Ale (450
yen). The former is
sweet and does not have a strong ginger taste,
so it is great for children.

The L size of
potatoes looks quite big, however
the fries are not too oily, so it goes down
as
quite a light snack.
BROOKLYN RIBBON FRIES KOMAZAWA
2-14-11 Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku Tokyo
03-6413-8185
Open 11:00-17:00, 18:00-22:30
Closed on Mondays
http://brooklynribbonfries.com/
After getting everything you need for a picnic,
finally head into the park!
There is a nice small playing ground near
the park.

3. Enjoying the outside.
If you enter the Komazawa Olympic Park
through the East Gate, you
will see a huge
lawn - the Freedom Square. Right by the picnic
space you can
see a soccer field, so you can
enjoy your lunch while watching the game.
On
weekends the park is full of families
enjoying their picnics, playing badminton
and
other fun games.

On weekends the
paved road by the lawn is
filled with people roller-skating, riding kick
scooters and striders.

Lay something
on the ground and enjoy a
relaxing day on the lawn. There many trees
and bushes
around, so kids can enjoy playing
with acorns and leaves.

You can also
take your friends out for a fun
party picnic at the park. There are so many
nice
stores around, you will never run out of
delicious options.
If you run out
of food during your picnic, don’t
fret - you can find places that sell food
inside
the park as well. Try out the recently renewed
hot dug bun sandwich
store located between
the East and West exits.

The hot dog bun
sandwich shop can be a little
crowded even on weekdays.
You can also
get your hands on some play
equipment if you haven’t brought your own.
You can
buy soap bubbles, rubber balls and
even rackets here.

You can see a
plum grove behind the store. A
nice smell spreads around when the trees are
blooming or in early summer, when the fruits
are ripe.
After you
finish your picnic meal, you can walk
around the park looking for fun places
and
activities. There are three big playgrounds in
the park, bicycle training course
for children
and a family center.
You can rent
out a bicycle with training wheels
to help your child learn to ride on a nice
circle
course. You can choose from 12 and 14-inch
bicycles (1 hour 100 yen). Helmets are free.

A nice place for kids to learn riding a bicycle.
For those
wanting a challenge without the
training wheels, there is a bigger and more
enjoyable course passing through trees. This
course has slight hills, curves
and pedestrian
crossings, so it is great for first practice
without training
wheels. After mastering this
course, the kids can make their debut on the
grown-up bicycle course circling the whole
park.

Left: For the
course you can rent out a 16-inch
bicycle with training wheels or 14, 16, 18-inch
bicycle without them (1 hour 100 yen).
Right: The
bicycles receive the best
maintenance possible, so you can let your kids
ride them without worries.
In the family
center you can rent out a
four-wheeled bicycle. Anyone can ride these
bikes -
from children to the elderly, so they are
perfect for family outings.

The four
wheelers cost 210 yen for the first
two rounds, and then are additional 100 yen
for each new round.
Komazawa Olympic Park
2 Higashigaoka 5 Yakumo, Komazawa-koen, Meguro-ku Tokyo
03-3701-5405
Park management 03-3421-6431
4. Park café with
vegan and gluten-free menu!
After a whole day of playing outside, visit the
café “Mr. Farmer”. It
opened just last spring at
the West entrance to the park.

The shop opens at 7AM, perfect for early
risers.
The inside of the café is spacious as well, but
we recommend using their
terrace if the
weather is nice. The store is pet friendly,
welcoming dog owners
during their walks.
There are many trees around providing a cool
shade - a refuge from the summer’s heat.

Top Left: We
recommend trying some vegan
sweets from the menu or one of the
customizable salads.
Top Right: Near
the café you can find the
Splashing Pond open only during summer.
Bottom Left:
There are plenty of regular table
seating arrangements provided on the terrace,
but we recommend trying out the sofa seats
hidden in the shade of trees.
Bottom Right: There is a take-out menu as well.
On weekends you
can participate in the
farmer’s market. There are also other various
events happening in the store, you can find out
more about them on their Facebook page.

Left: Detox
water with fruits and vegetables is
provided for free.
Right: There
are also sofa seats inside the
store.
We recommend
trying out the Veggie Smoothie
(790 yen) made from 5 different vegetables
and fruits. The taste is sweet and does not
remind of vegetables too much, so it is
perfect
for kids. One smoothie can be quite filling.

The café is not
too far from the road, but it
isn’t noisy at all.
The bathroom is
nice with a diaper changing
table. Visit this café after a long day at the park
for a bathroom break and a diaper change.

Magazines and
picture books are free to use
inside the café.
Mr.FARMER
1-1-2 Komazawa-koen, Setagaya-ku Tokyo
03-5432-7062
Open 7:00-21:00
5. Shop for perfect
weekend clothes.
After you have
enjoyed your food and the
outdoors, head back towards the station. On
your way
stop by a children’s clothing store
“Co Cuore”.
Main items in the
store are children’s clothes,
but you can also find matching clothing and
accessories sets for parents and children.

Left: The
clothing in the store is colorful and
reasonably priced
Right: A dress
for a girl and a matching skirt for
the mom from Japanese brand “Caidia”.
Mothers’ hat and bag can also be used by the
child.

Left: Store
manager Suzuki says: “The hat I’m
wearing is also wearable by children. Our
hats
can be worn by both kids and adults, so
everybody can enjoy them”.
Right: Children’s
clothing sizes range from
newborn to about 160 cm tall.
The clothes
displayed at the store are selected
by the manager Suzuki, who is a mother
herself.
The store is small, yet the time just slips away
just looking at them.
“As kids start going to
school they can share some of the clothes with
their mothers. Recently we sell a lot of pool
bags and raincoats” (Manager Suzuki).

Left: Vinyl
pool bag that doubles as a rucksack
is quite popular this season.
Right: Various
inexpensive goods are also the
manager’s idea as a mom: “When you attend
Christmas or birthday parties where kids are
invited, you often have to bring a
small present
of about 500 yen. That is why we sell different
accessories and other small goods.”
There is one
more reason for this store’s
popularity. If you bring your cloth, they can
make
you a lesson bag, as well as tailor and
hem up clothes, or fix the buttons,
making
this store loved by busy moms. “When you
have kids, you often have to
make different
things and tailor clothes. However, not
everybody can do it, so
we are glad to offer
our help” says Suzuki.
Children’s Clothing Co Cuore
2-1-6 Komazawa, Setagaya-ku Tokyo
03-6319-6105
After you leave
“Co Cuore” you will see
the station right in front of you. After
playing outside
for the whole day, the kids
will surely be tired. Going to an amusement
park is
fun, but it is nice to spend a nice day
at the park once in a while.
There are many
nice restaurants that can
only be found in the area around Komazawa,
so
definitely explore it when you have time.
Also, if you visit the Olympic Park
in summer,
bring bathing suits or spare clothes for your
children so they can
enjoy playing in the
Splashing Pond!
Original article in Japanese
https://sanporge.com/komazawakids/
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