The nine-story flagship store of Animate, an anime/manga merchandise chain, is also located in East Ikebukuro, on a street perpendicular to Sunshine-Dori.įor animation lovers, Sunshine City has a Disney Store and MOE Garden, a shop with a wide selection of Studio Ghibli merchandise. Find doujinshi (fan comics) at many of the shops along Otome Road. Ikebukuro is a great place to shop for anime, manga, and cosplay merchandise. They’re not flea market-cheap, but clothes and shoes there can be more affordable - especially when there’s a sale (and there often is). If these are too pricey, head over to Sunshine City and the road leading to it, Sunshine Street, where there are some cheaper options. In similar fashion to Akihabara, there are also many electronics shops dotted about. If you know Japanese, you’ll find it ironic that Tobu (which has the kanji for “east” in its name) is at the West Exit, while Seibu (which has the kanji for “west” in its name) is at the East Exit. Ikebukuro’s two main department stores are Tobu and Seibu. So it’s not uncommon to see cosplayers on the street, especially during the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival. The town celebrates a two-part Fukuro Matsuri, which has a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession in September and a yosakoi (a Japanese dance distinguished by the use of clappers) contest in October.ĭressing up is encouraged in Ikebukuro. Ikebukuro’s convenient location makes it a popular spot for events and festivals throughout the year - especially the new and unusual. Occasionally, you can also see performances in front of it and at the adjacent West Gate Park. The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space near the West Exit has theaters and a concert hall. If you’re looking for less crowded and money-snaffling activities in Ikebukuro, you could head over to the Bosaikan to learn how to handle earthquakes, scope out a maid café, chill on the Seibu department store’s roof garden, or browse the anime and manga stores on Otome Road. There is also a nice, if overpriced, observatory on the 60th floor - a decent but squashed spot for seeing Diamond Fuji (currently closed until spring 2023). Most tourists head straight over to Sunshine City on the east side to shop, scoff, and see the aquarium. The east area, in contrast, is bustling all day and night, with numerous shops and restaurants. The west area is generally quieter in the daytime, but it comes alive at night with its many restaurants, karaoke centers, and izakaya. Ikebukuro’s centers of activity are the east and west districts, both of which have distinctly different ambiances. This is why a certain shop-lined road across from Sunshine City is called Otome (Maiden) Road. A popular notion is that Akihabara is for men, whereas Ikebukuro is for women because many of Ikebukuro’s anime and manga merchandise shops focus on BL (boys’ love) and yaoi (homoerotic media between men). What is Otome Road?Īlthough overshadowed by Akihabara, Ikebukuro also has a reputation for being an otaku hub. Ikebukuro was also popularized to the world by the anime and manga Durarara!!, which revolves around an adolescent boy caught up in the fantastical underground world of Ikebukuro. Take a look at our cruelty-free alternatives.) (Please note that Tokyo Cheapo does not support owl cafés. It is also the place for owl lovers as Ikebukuro is similar to the Japanese word for owl, fukurou, you will find statues, cafés, merchandise, and more glorifying the animal. Ikebukuro is known for its shopping, arcades, anime fans, and family day outs at the aquarium. Popular meeting spot Ikefukurou | Photo by Alex Ziminski Ikebukuro is considered Tokyo’s second-biggest red-light district (after Kabukicho in Shinjuku.) While this means you should be aware of touts, the seediness is generally kept to the west of Ikebukuro after dark - even then, it is generally quite safe. But it’s pretty much guaranteed that if you’re looking for a cheap chain store, they’ll have a branch in Ikebukuro. It’s mostly made up of students and salarymen. What is Ikebukuro like?ĭespite a concentration of expensive department stores around the station and the nearby Sunshine Building - once the tallest building in Tokyo - the area is quite down-market. The neighborhood lies in Toshima City and is considered Toshima’s most famous district. Ikebukuro is a few stations north of Shinjuku and is often seen as a gateway to Saitama, Tokyo’s northern neighbor. A lot has happened in Ikebukuro in recent years: the old Sega arcade closed down and was replaced by Gigo, a poor imitation Tokyu Hands Department Store bit the dust, and Animate - a favorite anime and manga shop - will expand to become the world’s largest anime store in 2023.įrom October 2022 until spring 2023, the Sunshine 60 Observatory will be closed for renovations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |