meepa Co., Ltd. Hosts 'Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK', a Children's Interest Discovery Event at Odakyu SC's Station-Adjacent Facility
Odakyu SC and meepa co-host 'Meepa's Time' at ViNAWALK to solve children's experience gaps. The event offers hands-free weekend programs for dual-income families.
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- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 19:00
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Odakyu SC Development Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Waichiro Hosoya) and meepa Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ninomiya-machi, Naka-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture; CEO: Kentaro Yamanaka) will co-host a children's experience event, "Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK," at the community space "ViNA Machi Living" inside the commercial facility "ViNAWALK" in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Under the concept of "creating a town overflowing with experiences," this event is a proof-of-concept project that provides diverse experiential opportunities to children from busy dual-income households by holding it at a station-adjacent commercial facility on weekends.
■ Background and Concept of the Event
In recent years, there has been an issue where parents are unable to create experience opportunities for their children due to time constraints. It is said that children with abundant experience opportunities in early childhood develop higher "non-cognitive skills" such as self-esteem and sociability as they grow older.
Therefore, Odakyu SC Development and meepa have collaborated to create opportunities for children to engage in various programs at a familiar commercial facility. Parents can let their children participate empty-handed while shopping, and can finish their shopping during the experience time. Through this project, we aim to make today's outing a day to encounter a future "favorite."
■ "Experience Gap" Faced by Modern Children and Social Background
1. The Reality of the Worsening "Experience Gap"
In recent years, the "experience gap" in child-rearing has become a major social issue. According to a survey (*1), a significant factor in this gap is not only economic aspects but also parents' "lack of time and mental leeway." As dual-income households continue to hit record highs (approx. 12 million households), the burden of weekday transportation and the difficulty of gathering information currently rob children of opportunities to expand their world.
(*1) Source: Chance for Children, "Final Report on the Survey of Children's 'Experience Gap'"
2. Future Impact of Lack of Experience
An analysis by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (*2) shows a correlation that the more abundant the early childhood experiences, the higher the socio-emotional skills such as self-esteem, proactivity, and cooperativeness when they become middle and high school students. A lack of diverse experiences is not simply a lack of memories, but a loss of opportunities to cultivate non-cognitive skills (socio-emotional skills), which may narrow options in future life.
(*2) Source: National Institution for Youth Education, "Survey on Youth's Experiential Activities, etc. (FY2022)"
■ Three Features of the Event
- Held near the station on weekends: Provides casual experiential opportunities at a familiar commercial facility without traveling far.
- Hands-free participation: No preparation is required, expanding children's possibilities even on busy days. Parents are free to observe or finish shopping during that time.
- 4 days, 4 types of experiences: Different genres of experiences are prepared every week, offering a chance to discover unexpected sides of your child. Participation on multiple dates/times is highly welcomed.
■ Event Overview: 'Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK'
Event Name: [Exciting Experience Class] Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK
Venue: ViNAWALK Building 5, M2F Community Room "ViNA Machi Living" (1-4-1 Chuo, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Target: Kindergarten seniors to 3rd-grade elementary students
Details/Application: https://peatix.com/event/4932947
Organizer: meepa Co., Ltd.
■ Program and Schedule Details
We offer 4 types of experiences over 4 days, holding 3 sessions a day for each.
1) Furikake Making
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: 13:30~14:15 / 14:45~15:30 / 16:00~16:45
Content: A cooking class that supports children's dietary education together with busy mothers. Children will feel the joy of making food with their own hands by grinding ingredients in a mortar to make homemade furikake. They can take it home for dinner.
2) Kendama and Paper Airplanes
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 10:30~11:15 / 11:45~12:30 / 13:30~14:15
Content: After enjoying a professional performance show, a basic lesson will be held to practice thoroughly, starting from how to hold a kendama. Boome...
Under the concept of "creating a town overflowing with experiences," this event is a proof-of-concept project that provides diverse experiential opportunities to children from busy dual-income households by holding it at a station-adjacent commercial facility on weekends.
■ Background and Concept of the Event
In recent years, there has been an issue where parents are unable to create experience opportunities for their children due to time constraints. It is said that children with abundant experience opportunities in early childhood develop higher "non-cognitive skills" such as self-esteem and sociability as they grow older.
Therefore, Odakyu SC Development and meepa have collaborated to create opportunities for children to engage in various programs at a familiar commercial facility. Parents can let their children participate empty-handed while shopping, and can finish their shopping during the experience time. Through this project, we aim to make today's outing a day to encounter a future "favorite."
■ "Experience Gap" Faced by Modern Children and Social Background
1. The Reality of the Worsening "Experience Gap"
In recent years, the "experience gap" in child-rearing has become a major social issue. According to a survey (*1), a significant factor in this gap is not only economic aspects but also parents' "lack of time and mental leeway." As dual-income households continue to hit record highs (approx. 12 million households), the burden of weekday transportation and the difficulty of gathering information currently rob children of opportunities to expand their world.
(*1) Source: Chance for Children, "Final Report on the Survey of Children's 'Experience Gap'"
2. Future Impact of Lack of Experience
An analysis by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (*2) shows a correlation that the more abundant the early childhood experiences, the higher the socio-emotional skills such as self-esteem, proactivity, and cooperativeness when they become middle and high school students. A lack of diverse experiences is not simply a lack of memories, but a loss of opportunities to cultivate non-cognitive skills (socio-emotional skills), which may narrow options in future life.
(*2) Source: National Institution for Youth Education, "Survey on Youth's Experiential Activities, etc. (FY2022)"
■ Three Features of the Event
- Held near the station on weekends: Provides casual experiential opportunities at a familiar commercial facility without traveling far.
- Hands-free participation: No preparation is required, expanding children's possibilities even on busy days. Parents are free to observe or finish shopping during that time.
- 4 days, 4 types of experiences: Different genres of experiences are prepared every week, offering a chance to discover unexpected sides of your child. Participation on multiple dates/times is highly welcomed.
■ Event Overview: 'Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK'
Event Name: [Exciting Experience Class] Meepa's Time in ViNAWALK
Venue: ViNAWALK Building 5, M2F Community Room "ViNA Machi Living" (1-4-1 Chuo, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Target: Kindergarten seniors to 3rd-grade elementary students
Details/Application: https://peatix.com/event/4932947
Organizer: meepa Co., Ltd.
■ Program and Schedule Details
We offer 4 types of experiences over 4 days, holding 3 sessions a day for each.
1) Furikake Making
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: 13:30~14:15 / 14:45~15:30 / 16:00~16:45
Content: A cooking class that supports children's dietary education together with busy mothers. Children will feel the joy of making food with their own hands by grinding ingredients in a mortar to make homemade furikake. They can take it home for dinner.
2) Kendama and Paper Airplanes
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 10:30~11:15 / 11:45~12:30 / 13:30~14:15
Content: After enjoying a professional performance show, a basic lesson will be held to practice thoroughly, starting from how to hold a kendama. Boome...