Ikebukuro / Sugamo

Top Things to do

• Sunshine City

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Higashikebukuro 3-1

  This mixed-use commercial complex located in Tokyo’s Toshima City Higashi Ikebukuro district is a famous landmark in Ikebukuro. Comprised of five buildings, the Sky Circus observatory complex and a restaurant floor offering good views can be found in the tallest Sunshine 60 building. Inside the other buildings are many popular sightseeing spots such as the Sunshine Aquarium, the Konica Minolta Planetarium “Manten,” NAMJATOWN, and the Ancient Orient Museum, while guests can also enjoy gourmet food and shopping on the shopping center “alpa”.

• Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Nishikebukuro 1-8-1

  This performing arts cultural complex opened in 1990 but was renovated and reopened in 2012, and is used for various performances including music, dramas, opera, musicals, and dance. Mainly comprised of four main halls which include the Concert Hall with the world’s largest pipe organ, the mid-sized Playhouse, Theatre East and Theatre West, it also has meeting rooms and exhibit space. There are dining establishments on the first floor which can be used for meals before the program begins or as a rendezvous area. The closest station is Ikebukuro Station.

• Toshimaen

  3.5

  234 Reviews

  Tokyo Nerima-ku Kouyama 3-25-1

  This historic amusement park has been in operation since 1926. In addition to numerous thrilling rides and attractions, the park is also famous for its diverse variety of pools and water slides open in summer. The grounds also feature a bug museum, petting zoo, fishing area, barbecue area, winter-only ice skating rink, and hot spring bath facility, making Toshimaen a perfect place for families, couples, friends, and anyone to have fun. The park also hosts a variety of events throughout the year such as flea markets and cosplay festivals. The closest station is Toshimaen Station.

• Sunshine Aquarium

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Higashikebukuro 3-1 Sunshine City World Import Mart Bill/rooftop

  This aquarium was created with the concept of a ''Sky Oasis.'' Located inside Sunshine City, a major Ikebukuro landmark, the aquarium is visited by tourists from all around the world and is beloved by couples, friend and family, and people of all ages as an urban oasis. The aquarium features a wide array of exhibits resembled the actual waters around the great barrier reef, lake, and river. It also breeds large fish such as sunfish and sharks. In the outdoor areas, visitors can see penguins and sea lions swim as if they were flying.

• Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro Store

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Nishikebukuro 1-1-25

  This department store directly connected to JR Ikebukuro Station’s West Exit opened in 1962 as the Terminal Department Store and boasts the largest sales space in the Kanto region. With a total of 18 floors including two underground floors and 16 floors above ground, it features shops covering fashion, lifestyle accessories, and toys, and also includes gourmet food, restaurants, a Uniqlo and a fitness studio. One characteristic is that each floor is divided up into 11 avenues. The section from the 11th floor to the 15th floor is full of restaurants, and the five floors have an assortment of cuisines from all over the world.

• Animate Sunshine

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Higashikebukuro 1-20-7

  This eight-floor building located at the entrance to Otome Road in the Higashi Ikebukuro district of Tokyo’s Toshima City is comprised of floors with a lineup of products particularly for the benefit of female fans, more so than other Animate locations around the country. Inside is a cosplay shop as well as shops for second-hand character costumes and doll-related merchandise, a studio offering cosplay photography, and also an Animate Café where guests can enjoy a menu that collaborates with anime works. This building is constantly being visited by anime fans from all over the country.

• Junkudo Bookstore Ikebukuro

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Minamikebukuro 2-15-5

  This is a large bookstore located five minutes on foot from JR Ikebukuro Station East Exit, and the sales floor is from the basement to the ninth floor. There are books of various genres ranging from literary books to magazines, comics, medical and other specialist books etc. Many people visit from far away to find the book they are looking for. Inside the shop, you can search for your desired book with the help of a search machine, or you can use the desks and chairs provided to choose your books carefully. There is also a café on the fourth floor.

• Kishimojin

  3-15-20 Miscellaneous Shogo Gorge Toshima-ku, Tokyo

  A shrine which worships Kishimojin, the goddess of easy childbirth and child rearing. The name of the shrine’s famed osen dango (sweet dumplings) is a play on words—Kishimojin had one thousand (sen) children (ko – changed to “go” in dango), and thus these little treats also serve as a prayer to be blessed with children. The gingko trees on the shrine grounds are said to be some 700 years old and have been designated Natural Monuments by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The Oeshiki Taisai festival commemorating the Buddhist priest Nichiren’s death is held at the shrine each year from October 16 to 18. During the festival, the approach to the shrine is lined with bustling street stalls.

• Kogan-ji Temple (Togenuki Jizoson)

  3.5

  208 Reviews

  Tokyo Toshima-ku Sugamo 3-35-2

  This Soto Buddhist temple is popularly called the Togenuki Jizoson. A statue of the bodhisattva Kshitigarbha, donated by a man in prayer for his wife’s recovery from illness after childbirth, is the temple’s principle object of worship. Legend has it that when a piece of paper with an image of the bodhisattva was floated on a river, his wife was healed. Based on this legend, it is said that affixing a piece of washi paper with the statue’s image imprinted on it sold at the temple to an injured area will hill the injury. A bronze statue called the “Washing Kannon” also stands on the temple grounds which is believed to cure illness.