Who We Are

Michikusa-kai is a small voluntary association founded in 2022 by a small group of locals to engage with life-size community building. We operate in the area of Yukigaya-Ishikawadai in Tokyo, or around Ishikawadai station on the Tokyu Ikegami line. Our practices focus on improving and utilising nearby parks and green spaces in walkable distances while keeping our efforts to the extent possible within the framework of daily routine. We never hustle.

What Michikusa Means

The word "michikusa" means not going to the destination straight away. It is something like "loitering" while the emphasis is not in staying around but in doing other things briefly on the way, i.e., multiplying the purpose of a move from one place to another. The concept is a casual equivalent for the "third place" in more serious urbanism and urban planning contexts. The word "Kai" means club or group in Japanese, an informatl gathering of like-minded people based on non-commercial motivation.

What We Do

Our activities are centered in Ichinohashi-Jido-Yuen [lit. Ichinohasi Child Playground]. We are officially registered as the “Fureai Park” [lit. "Friends of the Park"] organization of the small park (appx. 228 square metre), responsible for the maintenance of flower beds, occasional cleaning, facilitation of local usage of the park, promotion of inter-generational communication, and security sweep.

Where We Operate

Ichinohashi-Jido-Yuen is located at an intimate node of people and water criss-crossing above and below the park - on the border of three local community associations, with trains going south-north over the park, and a river called “Nomi-Gawa” flowing eastbound beneath its artificial ground. Due to a now missing Panda-themed play equipment, some locals still call the park as “Panda Park.”

What the Park is Like

The park has 5 benches each for two people, 1 slide, 1 basin, and no toilet. The reclaimed ground over the river is all covered by artificial turf, which is surrounded by flower beds of azalea on its four sides. The park offers amenity for a variety of users, including locals, families using nearby nursery schools, and runners jogging alongside the Nomi Gawa river.