Matsuyama City has eight children’s halls and centers (児童館・児童センター, jidokan) run by the city and operated by the Matsuyama City Social Welfare Foundation. You can walk into any of them without booking, so they work well on a rainy day with a baby or a school-age child. This guide compares the eight halls and the “Sukusuku Hiroba” play space inside the city health center, by closed days, parking and what they offer to parents with young children.
In short
- All eight halls are open on Sundays. Five close on Mondays and three close on Tuesdays.
- Parking is 15 to 53 spaces, shared with the other facilities in the building; the largest is Nanbu Children’s Center (53).
- Nanbu Children’s Center is open until 21:00 all year. The other seven close at 18:00 (April to September) or 17:30 (October to March).
- No booking is needed. The foundation describes the halls as drop-in facilities with no limit on numbers.
Checked with official pages on October 5, 2026.
1. The nine places in one table
Matsuyama City
The eight halls have 15 to 53 parking spaces, and Nanbu Children’s Center has the most, with 53. Tap a name to jump to it.
| Place | Closed day | Parking | For parents with young children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuo Children’s Center | Mon | 17 | Toddler room; toys in the gym |
| Nanbu Children’s Center | Mon | 53 | Toddler space with nursing room |
| Hojo Children’s Center | Mon | 24 | Toddler space; grass courtyard |
| Aratama Children’s Hall | Mon | 30 | Baby space for ages up to 3 |
| Hatadera Children’s Hall | Mon | 20 | Toddler play equipment in the morning |
| Mibu Children’s Hall | Tue | 20 | Preschool-only room |
| Kume Children’s Hall | Tue | 15 | Same building as a nursery |
| Hisaeda Children’s Hall | Tue | 26 | Toddler space (heated floor in winter) |
| Sukusuku Hiroba | Open Mon–Fri and 1st and 3rd Sun | Not stated | Play space for preschoolers and parents |
The eight halls are open 9:00–18:00 from April to September and 9:00–17:30 from October to March (tidy-up starts 30 minutes before closing). The exception is Nanbu Children’s Center, open 9:00–21:00 all year. The halls are for children from 0 to 18 and their parents, and preschool children come with a parent. The official pages are in Japanese and do not say whether staff speak English.
2. What to know before you go
Matsuyama City
Check each hall’s closed day first, and whether a storm warning has closed it. Five halls close on Mondays and three on Tuesdays.
- Closed days: Chuo, Nanbu, Hojo, Aratama and Hatadera close on Mondays. Mibu, Kume and Hisaeda close on Tuesdays. If the closed day is a holiday, the next weekday is closed. All halls close from December 29 to January 3. During spring, summer and winter school holidays the halls are open every day (this does not apply to Aratama).
- Weather closures: a hall closes when a storm or snowstorm warning is issued for Matsuyama City, or when evacuation level 3 or higher is issued for its district. If the warning ends by 8:00, the halls (except Nanbu) open as usual at 9:00; if it ends between 8:00 and 13:00, they open about an hour later; if it has not ended by 13:00, they stay closed all day. Nanbu’s cut-off is 16:00 instead of 13:00. You can call the hall during opening hours to ask (city page, Japanese).
- Chuo Children’s Center is in Harmony Plaza, which is under major renovation until early March 2027 (planned). Parts of the building may be restricted and construction noise is possible; the 2nd-floor plaza in the courtyard is closed.
- Ehime Kodomo no Shiro (えひめこどもの城), a prefectural facility, is counted as the city’s ninth children’s hall. Its hours are on its own website, so check them separately.
- Each hall publishes a monthly newsletter (“Jidokan Tsushin”) with the month’s events; the city page links to it.
3. Chuo Children’s Center (中央児童センター), Wakakusacho
Matsuyama City
It is on the first and second floors of Matsuyama Harmony Plaza. It has a toddler room, and the gym is divided by nets into a space with permanent toys and a space for basketball, so toddlers can play safely. Other rooms are a play room, a library, a craft room, a computer corner and a courtyard.
It is closed on Mondays. “Parent-and-child fureai time” is Tuesday to Friday 9:30–12:30, and a stretching session for parents and children is at 11:00 for 30 minutes on open weekdays. Crafts cost about ¥100, and lending picture books and children’s books is free (up to 2 books per person, for up to 2 weeks). The city says the courtyard’s ground-floor outdoor play area has reopened after repairs.
Address: 8-3 Wakakusacho, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-933-9311. Parking: 17 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
4. Nanbu Children’s Center (南部児童センター), Furukawa-kita
Matsuyama City
It is on the second floor of Hanamizuki Center. It has the largest car park of the eight halls (53 spaces) and the latest hours. It is open 9:00–21:00 all year; with a parent, children of any age may stay until 21:00. Without a parent, elementary school children and younger may use it until 18:00, junior high school students until 19:00 and high school students until 21:00. For safety, it asks elementary school children on their own to go home by 17:30 (April to September) or 17:00 (October to March).
At the back of the toddler space there is a nursing room with a nursing sofa, a diaper-changing table and a sink; the space has a slide and play-kitchen toys. It is closed on Mondays. On weekdays at 11:00 there is a “Sukusuku taiso hiroba” (action songs and play) for toddlers and parents. The center hall has Tomica cars, Plarail trains and Sylvanian Families toys for all ages. The reading space has about 2,000 books, and you can borrow up to 2 per person for 2 weeks, free. The rooftop garden is open only during events. The center’s page also lists an “English de Halloween Party” on Friday, October 30, 10:00–11:00 (booking open).
Address: 3-8-20 Furukawa-kita, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-969-1005. Parking: 53 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
5. Hojo Children’s Center (北条児童センター), Kono-beppu
Matsuyama City
It is inside Hojo Bunka no Mori. The building is U-shaped around a grass courtyard. You can run, skip rope and play with bubbles or water on the grass. Its page says it is the only hall in the city with a courtyard of this size.
It is closed on Mondays. There is a nursing room at the back of the play room and toddler space, and the multipurpose room has permanent toys. A weekday-morning “Nakayoshi taiso hiroba” starts at 11:00, and parent-and-child fureai time is 9:30–12:30. The gym is the largest room. Computers, table tennis and the outdoor basketball court are booked on a sheet at the office desk, in 20-minute turns, in person after you arrive. If you book by the day before, the music room (registration needed) and the outdoor court can be used until 20:00.
Address: 937 Kono-beppu, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-992-9559. Parking: 24 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
6. Aratama Children’s Hall (新玉児童館), Sanbancho (inside COMS)
Matsuyama City
It is on the first and second floors of COMS, in central Matsuyama. The “Baby Space” is for children up to age 3 and a parent, with toys, picture books and child-rearing magazines. Children aged 3 or over cannot enter it, even to accompany a baby sibling.
It is closed on Mondays, and unlike the other halls it is not open every day in school holidays. The meeting room has a microwave and baby chairs, and hot water for milk is available at the office. The COMS side has a nursing room and a family restroom. “Fureai Kids Park” (action songs) is at 11:00 for 30 minutes on weekdays, and a “Baby Mama Day” for babies under 1 and a parent (siblings may come in) is held once a month 10:00–11:00. Craft materials cost ¥50 to ¥200 or so.
Address: 6-4-20 Sanbancho, Matsuyama City (COMS 1st and 2nd floors). Phone: 089-943-5801. Parking: 30 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
7. Hatadera Children’s Hall (畑寺児童館), Hatadera
Matsuyama City
It is on the first floor of Hatadera Welfare Center. From 9:00 to 12:00, Tuesday to Friday, it sets out play equipment for toddlers such as a slide and a trampoline. The parent-and-child room has a baby bed, a bouncer and a nursing room.
It is closed on Mondays. Parent-and-child fureai time is Tuesday to Friday 9:30–12:30, with a parent-and-child exercise at 11:00. Height and weight checks are held on the last weekday of each month, 9:00–12:00. You can borrow 3 books per person for up to 2 weeks, and there is a microwave to warm baby food and lunch boxes.
Address: 4-8-5 Hatadera, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-905-9614. Parking: 20 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
8. Mibu Children’s Hall (味生児童館), Beppucho
Matsuyama City
It is on the first and second floors of Mibu Fureai Center and is closed on Tuesdays. The first-floor “Fureai Room” is only for preschool children, with toys, picture books and a play-kitchen corner. A nursing room and a diaper-changing table are next to it.
The second-floor play room is kept for toddlers until 15:00 on weekdays. Everyone can play with balls there on weekends and holidays and on weekdays after 15:00. In the craft room, “mibucafe”, you can play with toys or the piano, and eat and drink there. Parent-and-child fureai time is 9:30–12:30 on weekdays and the action-song session is at 11:00 for 30 minutes. You can borrow 2 picture books or children’s books for 2 weeks, free.
Address: 177-1 Beppucho, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-953-5051. Parking: 20 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
9. Kume Children’s Hall (久米児童館), Takakocho
Matsuyama City
It is on the second floor of the Kume complex, right next to Kume Elementary School. The municipal Kume Nursery and a community child-rearing support center are on the first floor. It is closed on Tuesdays.
The toddler space has a nursing space and baby beds. The play room has a table-tennis table, a vaulting box and mats, and kid cars for toddlers. You can eat in the eating space, and there is a microwave in front of the office; ask staff for hot water for milk. Parent-and-child fureai time is 9:30–12:30 on weekdays and the action-song session is at 11:00 for 30 minutes. You can borrow up to 5 picture books per child for 2 weeks, free, the most of the eight halls.
The car park has 15 spaces, the fewest of the eight, and the road is narrow. The hall says to turn at the side of the bicycle shop opposite the elementary school, where there is a car park sign.
Address: 4-4 Takakocho, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-970-0907. Google Maps
10. Hisaeda Children’s Hall (久枝児童館), Nishinagatocho
Matsuyama City
It is on the second floor of Hisaeda Nakayoshi Fureai Center and is closed on Tuesdays. The toddler space has building blocks and play-kitchen toys, and in winter it has a heated floor. The nursing corner has a sofa and a diaper-changing table.
From the terraces you can see Matsuyama Castle and Matsuyama Sogo Park to the south, and trains on the JR Yosan Line to the north. In summer there is a water play space for toddlers. Parent-and-child fureai time is 9:30–12:30 on weekdays and the parent-and-child exercise starts at 11:15. “Baby Mama Friends Day” for babies under 1 is on the third Thursday of each month except August, 10:15–11:00 (older siblings may come in). You can borrow up to 3 books per person, and there are free lockers for valuables.
Address: 638-1 Nishinagatocho, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-922-3800. Parking: 26 spaces shared with the building. Google Maps
11. Sukusuku Hiroba (すくすくひろば), city health center
Matsuyama City
It is a play space on the first floor of the Matsuyama City Health Center (保健所) for preschool children and their parents. It is open Monday to Friday and on the 1st and 3rd Sundays, 8:30–17:00 (not on holidays or over the New Year), so it is open on Mondays when many halls are closed. Child-care workers are on hand to give advice. It offers toys and picture books, and counseling and child-rearing lectures.
Use is in rotations of about an hour, and the number of people may be limited when it is crowded. People with cold symptoms are asked to stay away. Address: 6-30-5 Kayacho, Matsuyama City. Phone: 089-911-1822. Google Maps
12. Which one should I choose?
Matsuyama City
- Monday: Mibu, Kume and Hisaeda are open, and so is Sukusuku Hiroba.
- Late or evening: Nanbu is open until 21:00.
- A nursing room: Nanbu, Hojo, Aratama, Mibu, Hatadera, Hisaeda and Kume each have a nursing room or corner.
- Babies: Aratama’s “Baby Mama Day” (monthly) and Hisaeda’s “Baby Mama Friends Day” (3rd Thursday, not August) are for babies under 1 and their parents.
- Playing outdoors: Hojo has a grass courtyard, Hisaeda has a ground and terraces, and Chuo has a courtyard play area.
- By car: Nanbu (53), Aratama (30) and Hisaeda (26) have the most spaces; Kume (15) can be tight, so arrive early on event days.
Common questions
Do I need to book?
No. The foundation describes the halls as facilities with no booking and no limit on numbers. On arrival, you write your name in the visitors’ list at the office. Some services need booking: at Hojo, computers, table tennis and the outdoor basketball court are booked on the day at the office desk, and the music room is booked in advance.
What does it cost?
The city’s and the foundation’s pages do not give an admission price. They list free lending of picture books and children’s books, and small costs for crafts (about ¥100 at Chuo, ¥50 to ¥200 at Aratama). Ask the hall by phone if you want to be sure about admission.
Can children come alone?
The halls are for children from 0 to 18 and their parents. Preschool children come with a parent. At Nanbu, elementary school children on their own are asked to go home by 17:30 (April to September) or 17:00 (October to March) for safety.
Can we eat there?
Eating is allowed only in the set rooms, such as the meeting room or eating space. There are no trash bins, so take your trash home. Microwaves or hot water for milk are mentioned for Kume, Hisaeda, Hatadera, Hojo and Aratama.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Matsuyama City: children’s halls (Japanese, updated September 24, 2026), Harmony Plaza renovation notice (Japanese), Sukusuku Hiroba (Japanese)
- Matsuyama City Social Welfare Foundation: children’s halls and centers (Japanese), with each hall’s pages: Chuo, Nanbu, Hojo, Aratama, Hatadera, Mibu, Kume, Hisaeda
- The halls’ official Instagram posts and the official YouTube video embedded above
