20 of the Best Things to Do in Shimokitazawa

20 of the Best Things to Do in Shimokitazawa

A perfect breakfast to start a wonderful day

Woken up early? Why not visit the mixture bakery & cafe! It opens at 7:30 am and offers all different kinds of affordable breakfast sets. The smell of fresh bread and nicely roasted coffee will wake me from my zombie state.

By the way, this is the best place to try Japanese bread if you haven't tried any yet. They have a superb selection of various breads, from authentic European bread to Japanese buns.

A perfect breakfast to start a wonderful day

mixture

東京都世田谷区北沢3-31-5

03-5453-7677

View All

Walk around the shutter gallery

The storefront shutters in this part of Shimokitazawa are decorated by mural artists. After years of being covered by graffiti, the Shimokitazawa Ichiban-gai community came up with the idea of asking artists to draw beautiful pictures on the shutters.

No one has sprayed paint on them since.

Walk around the shutter gallery

下北沢一番街商店街

東京都世田谷区

View All

Taste curry at Shimokitazawa’s curry hot spots

There is no doubt about Shimokitazawa being the center of subculture. However, it is also known as “The Town of Curry”.

In Shimokitazawa, you are surrounded by curry shops. Our recommendation is the Mahal cutlet curry for 1,520 yen from PANNYA CAFE CURRY. PANNYA is pretty famous among curry maniacs. Their curry is quite spicy but you can also feel the sweetness of onions at the same time. Make sure you experience this magic on you trip.

Read more:
・The Best 10 curry shops in Shimokitazawa

Mahal cutlet curry

PANNYA CAFE CURRY

Pannyatoukyoushimokitazawaten

4.0

2 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 2-33-6 Suzuki Building 1F

0334854548

View All

Go here

Explore the vintage shops

For those who still don't know what Shimokitazawa's subculture is about, here is a good example: used clothes and vintage fashion. It’s home to plenty of cheap used clothing shops where you can get casual dresses, as well as shops with high-end vintage dresses.

Look around and see if you can find a shop to fall in love with. It won't be too hard!

Read more:
Shimokitazawa: The Heart of Tokyo's Second Hand and Vintage Scene

Explore the vintage shops

Try different types of snacks on the street

Extra fluffy cakes, tremendous types of bubble tea, and rice balls rolled up with meat instead of seaweed - Shimokitazawa is a remarkable place for casual snacks.

People just come and go to check out the eye-catching deliciousness. Some of the snacks in Shimokitazawa could be a good conversation topic. Some of them are also great for souvenirs. Others are pretty Instagrammble too! If you are tired of eating at restaurants, why not try small bites of a variety of different snacks!

Read more:
・11 Tokyo snacks you should try in Shimokitazawa

Try different types of snacks on the street

Enjoy cafe hopping

A unique cafe culture is another thing that makes Shimokitazawa popular. How would you pass the time in a cafe? Work? Talk with friends? Or just drink coffee and relax?

There are all different types of cafes in Shimokitazawa and you can use them according to your needs. Spend time surrounded by the stylish atmosphere, taste good coffee!

Read more:
・The Best 15 cafes in Shimokitazawa

Enjoy cafe hopping

Visit shrines and temples

Shimokitazawa has a lot of subculture places but there are also beautiful and traditional buildings. Temples are just one of them.

Shinganji Temple, which was selected as one of the “100 Famous Views of Setagaya” in 1984 is a great place to visit and around 400 years old. Once you enter through the temple gate, you’ll be welcomed by glorious gingko trees.

Shinganji Temple

If you want to visit a Shinto shrine, Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine is the place to head. Established about 500 years ago, it’s been keeping Shimokitazawa peaceful ever since. These two powerful spots are only three minutes’ walk away from each other.

Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine

Mori Iwao Ji

3.5

10 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Daizawa 3-chome 27-1

0334211730

View All

Go here

Kita Sawa Hachiman Shrine

4.0

25 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Daizawa 3-25-3

0334221370

View All

Go here

Buy souvenirs at Village Vanguard

Village Vanguard is known as ‘the book store where you can have fun’ The inside of the store is like a maze. Floppy disk-shaped note pads, Beatles figurines, eye-shaped stuffed dolls - interesting things are everywhere.

They have comic books from the 80s too! It’s a great place to find something unique to take home but just looking at all the unusual products is fun too. Visit and experience this random universe.

Buy souvenirs at Village Vanguard

VILLAGE VANGUARD Shimo Kitazawa

3.0

1 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 2-10-15 Marche Shimo-Kitazawa 1F

0334606145

View All

Go here

THE WARDROBE HOTEL Shimokitazawa

3F Kuwata BLDG, Kitazawa Tokyo

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

TOLO COFFEE & BAKERY

Are you a Ghibli fan?

At this officially recognized cafe, TOLO COFFEE & BAKERY, you can eat Totoro-shaped cream puffs for 465 yen (420 yen / take out). Step inside the café and you’ll feel the warm Ghibli atmosphere, just like when you watch their movies.

They offer meals too. Our recommendation is the root vegetable pasta with cream cheese bolognese sauce, which costs from 1000 yen with a drink (the price changes depending on which drink you order).

Read more:
・Where to Eat in Shimokitazawa

TOLO COFFEE & BAKERY

TOLOCOFFEE&BAKERY

4.5

15 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Daita 5-3-1

0357876732

View All

Go here

ANTIQUE LIFE ☆ JiN

ANTIQUE LIFE ☆ JiN has been open since 1982 and they now have two shops in Shimokitazawa. One is focused on their Japanese small items and the second one has furniture from the early Showa era (dating from 1926).

If you’re looking for antique accessories, Pêche (a French vintage goods shop) is perfect. You can find an attractive selection of cute little things all over the shop, with the owner bringing some items direct from Europe.

ANTIQUE LIFE ☆ JiNⅡ

pêche

Antique Life Jin

2.5

3 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 2-30-8

0334673066

[Weekday]12:00-19:00[Saturda…

View All

Go here

ペッシュ(peche)

東京都世田谷区北沢2-27-2

0354533634

View All

Go here

Shimokitazawa Tollywood

Shimokitazawa Tollywood is where you can watch rare films by up-and-coming directors. They show Japanese and international films that include anime and often host a talk show with directors and actors of the movies.

They also host sneak peek previews. Watch a movie there and be a pioneer of a new trend!

下北沢トリウッド

東京都世田谷区代沢5-32-5

0334140433

View All

Go here

Honda Gekijo

We can’t forget to mention about the theater culture of Shimokitazawa. There are plenty of small theaters in this town. Among them, Honda Gekijo is considered the most famous and is known as the center of small theater in Tokyo.

Whether it’s famous plays or underground titles, they have been showing tremendous shows since they opened in 1982.

Honda Gekijo

Honda Gekijo theater

4.0

4 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 2-10-15

0334680030

View All

Go here

The Suzunari and Suzunari Yokocho

The Suzunari is a small theater built by Kazuo Honda who is also the founder of Honda Gekijo. At Suzunari Yokocho, small retro-style bars make up the first floor of the theater. It is definitely shaping Shimokitazawa culture.

You should grab a drink there before leaving this town!

Read more:
・Shimokitazawa Nightlife

Suzunari Yokocho

The Suzunari

3.0

1 Reviews

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 1-45-15

0334690511

Varies depending on the perf…

View All

Go here

鈴なり横丁

東京都世田谷区北沢1丁目

View All

Go here

Check out the retro stores

Vintage stores are housed in regular storefronts, outdoor stalls or even refurbished, graffitied garages. The stores range widely in pricing and can be very cheap or very expensive, depending on the type of store and quality of clothing.

Some vintage stores also specialize in antiques or memorabilia from years past. Film cameras and records are popular commodities as well as retro voting pins and costume jewelry. There are so many shops to peruse from that finding a deal turns into a fun adventure.

Check out the retro stores

Indulge in some art

Gallery Hana is the place for contemporary artwork by up and coming artists. Housed on a street corner, the gallery is a small gem off the beaten vintage store path.

Exhibitions are short, normally a week long, and frequent. Each artist brings something new to the gallery in every genre of art, from classic drawings to pop art cartoons to cat toy making workshops.

Stop by to see the newest artists before they enter the museums. For artists themselves, the studio is also a rental space offering availability to artists with a special student discount.

Gallery Hana

Gallery HANA Shimo-Kitazawa

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 3-chome 26-2 ~ 1F

0363805687

View All

Go here

Be amazed by Japanese cuisine and sake at an Izakaya

Have you tried a Japanese Izakaya yet? Even if you have, you should go to Shirube to experience their open-style kitchen bar!

Shirube has seats surrounding the kitchen and the chefs cook right in front of you. The lively ambience and sense of unity are difficult to find in chain izakaya restaurants. Their freshly cooked dishes taste even more delicious when you eat them (literally) directly from the kitchen!

Read more:
・Where to Eat in Shimokitazawa

汁べゑ 下北沢店

東京都世田谷区北沢2-18-2 パインクレスト北沢 1F

0334133785

View All

Go here

Enjoy drinks accompanied by live music

The music bar RPM is one place where you can enjoy great music and drinks. They don’t have any limitations when it comes to musical genres and host live shows almost every night.

Some shows are sessions that you can actually jump into! If you want to hear Jazz, APOLLO is the best place for you. Taste their “made in Tokyo” beat in a cozy atmosphere.

music bar rpm

APOLLO

musicbarrpm

Tokyo Setagaya-ku

0354540179

View All

Go here

Shimo-Kitazawa APOLLO

Tokyo Setagaya-ku Kitazawa 2-9-22 EIKO Shimo-Kitazawa Building B1

View All

Go here

Kinema Club

Have a night you won’t forget at the Kinema Club. It’s a bar where you can enjoy food and drinks accompanied by an old cinematic atmosphere!

Movie posters, flyers, and booklets cover the walls and ceilings, and you’ll feel the fabulous retro vibe the moment you step into the building.

Kinema Club

Shimokitazawa Cage

Shimokitazawa Cage is a temporary event space that’s open only until 2019.
People can come in and rest inside, just like they do in a park during the daytime.

At nighttime, it hosts a market, a theater, and different types of events. There is also a casual Asian izakaya inside. It’s a good place to talk with Shimokita-based creators.

Read more:
・Shimokitazawa Nightlife

Shimokitazawa Cage

下北沢ケージ

東京都世田谷区北沢2-6-2 京王井の頭線高架下

03-6407-0707

View All

Go treasure hunting at the record shops

Unlike the huge record shops in Shibuya or Shinjuku, the ones in Shimokitazawa never rely on short-term trends.

Most of the shops have been here for a long time. From well-recognized DJs to music nerds, the disc shops in this area are loved by a diverse range of musical people. You can spend forever in these shops!

Read more:
・The Record Lover’s Guide to Shimokitazawa

Go treasure hunting at the record shops