Take the subway to the station Higashi-Ikebukuro, in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, to discover Ikebukuro, an area packed with shopping malls, retail stores, businesses, residential towers and restaurants.
The district’s main attraction is the towering shopping and entertainment complex named Sunshine City. Take the kids to the Sunshine Aquarium or Planetarium, go see a movie or have lunch in the food court in the Sunshine Shopping Mall. You can’t miss the Sunshine 60 Observatory, aka Sky Circus, which, as its name suggests, takes you to the top of the 60-story building for panoramic views of the Japanese capital.
See what the Japanese “otaku” (“geek culture”) is all about during a visit to Otome Road (Maiden Road) near Sunshine City. Many stores along this street sell merchandise of the wide-eyed shrine maidens that appear in the anime movies. Most shops and “concept cafés” cater to Japanese girls, who love the Maiden characters.
Come here with a friend to dress up in period costumes yourselves, complete with anime-style bright wigs and colored contact lenses, for Insta-worthy photos and some laugh-out-loud Costume Play. Grab some typical Japanese anime and manga souvenirs too if you are into Asian pop culture.
A somewhat hidden attraction near the Sunshine 60 Building is the Ancient Orient Museum on the seventh floor of the Bunka-Kaikan building. Ask for an English leaflet at the reception desk and let the exhibitions take you back in time. The focus is on artifacts from the Middle East, where the cultures and religions of Africa, Europe and Asia meet.
The Japan Mint Tokyo Museum in the local Saitama Branch has a daily Mint Museum Tour. While the tour is in Japanese, you’ll get and understanding of how money is being made and how it was done centuries ago.
Ikebukuro occupies the northwestern corner of the Yamanote loop line. If you arrive at Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, take the exit to the east for the quickest way to the Sunshine Building.
