Neighbourhood in Toshima
Ikebukuro
池袋
Busy commercial hub of northern Tokyo around one of Japan's busiest stations, with Sunshine City, big department stores and anime shops.
- places to see
- 10
- walk past the highlights
- 2.1 km
- Tokyo
- Toshima
Photo: Ray Tsang from Irvine, USA (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Ikebukuro is one of Tokyo's main shopping and entertainment hubs, centred on Ikebukuro Station, the third-busiest in Japan. Seibu and Tobu department stores sit on top of it; the meeting point is a small owl statue (Ikefukuro), a pun on the district's name.
East of the station, Sunshine City packs an aquarium, an observation deck and a large Pokemon Center into one complex, and the streets around it are full of anime, manga and character shops. It is a good, slightly cheaper base on the JR Yamanote Line. See our Toshima guide for more.
Don't miss in Ikebukuro
Start with these, then wander the side streets.
1. Sunshine City
サンシャインシティMall, aquarium, observation deck and the big Pokemon Center, all in one complex.
Photo: Kakidai (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
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2. Sunshine Aquarium
サンシャイン水族館Rooftop aquarium with penguins and sea lions that seem to swim over the city.
Photo: Motokoka (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
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3. Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan
自由学園明日館Frank Lloyd Wright's school building, a calm 10 minutes from the station.
Photo: Kakidai (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
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4. Ikebukuro West Gate Park
池袋西口公園Open-air stage by the west exit with free events.
Photo: Asanagi (opens in a new tab), CC0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
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Walk Ikebukuro in order
The highlights as one easy walk, about 2.1 km in all.
Stop 1
Sunshine City
Start here
Stop 2
Sunshine Aquarium
4 min walk
Stop 3
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
17 min walk
Stop 4
Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan
8 min walk
More around Ikebukuro
Other places within walking distance. Each shows its Japanese name for maps and taxis.
Minami-Ikebukuro Park
南池袋公園A park in Tokyo, Japan.
Ancient Orient Museum
古代オリエント博物館A museum in Tokyo, Japan.
Museum of Toshima City
豊島区立郷土資料館A museum in Tokyo, Japan.
Toshima Kids Park
としまキッズパークA park in Tokyo, Japan.
Ike Sun Park
としまみどりの防災公園A park in Tokyo, Japan.
Koyasu Inari Shrine
子安稲荷神社A Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan.
Ikebukuro on the map
Every place on this page. Tap a pin for directions.
Questions
Is Ikebukuro a good place to stay?
Yes, for value and transport: the Yamanote, Saikyo and several subway and private lines meet here.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
More areas in Tokyo
- KagurazakaA sloping street from Iidabashi with stone-paved back lanes from its geisha days, old shrines and Tokyo's biggest cluster of French bakeries and bistros.
- ShinjukuTokyo's busiest hub: neon-lit Kabukicho and Golden Gai to the east, skyscrapers and free city views to the west, and a huge garden to the south.
- YanakaOne of the few corners of Tokyo where the old low-city atmosphere survives: temples, wooden houses, small shops and a large, leafy cemetery.
- UenoTokyo's museum quarter around Ueno Park, with national museums, the zoo, temples, a lotus pond and the Ameyoko market street by the station.
- AkihabaraTokyo's Electric Town: the centre of anime, manga and game shopping, with electronics stores, arcades, maid cafes and the old Kanda Myojin shrine nearby.
- HarajukuTokyo's youth fashion district between Harajuku Station and Omotesando, next to the forest of Meiji Jingu shrine and Yoyogi Park.
- MarunouchiThe business district between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, with the red-brick station, palace gardens and a tree-lined street of shops.
- NihonbashiTokyo's old merchant quarter around the bridge where the Edo-period highways began, with Japan's first department store and long-running shops.
