Welcome gentle reader; pull up a chair or tatami mat and allow me to guide you around an interesting and overlooked location within Tokyo’s 23 wards.
It may not have the youthful energy and trendy shopping of Shibuya or the sheer size and epic impressiveness of Shinjuku, but Ikebukuro is basically my hometown in Japan.
Ikebukuro_Station
One of the things I love most about this “city” is that is a bit grimy. There is a sense of danger in some of the streets. Let’s put “danger” into perspective – it’s still Japan, which is still easily the safest place I have ever spent any significant amount of time. So the sense of “danger” is really just that – a “sense” – there is no actual danger. Though, if you stumble drunk into one of the many dodgy hostess or “massage” parlors you might find yourself confronted with some gentlemen who aren’t entirely happy with your jolly presence.
The West side of Ikebukuro station is where you find many bars, places to eat and the Metropolitan Art Space. The area has been made famous by the Japanese drama Ikebukuro West Gate Park.
The East side of Ikebukuro has a very different feel, and is home to many department stores and massive electronics stores. Its also home to Sunshine city, a huge shopping “mall” inside a skyscraper.
This is of course a very general overview, none of which is particularly revealing about the character of the area. I shall go into great depth in future posts.