Guide to Ikebukuro, Tokyo: Anime, Video Games, Shopping, and Cats

For me, walking into Ikebukuro, Tokyo for the first time was a bit like walking into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a wonderfully surreal experience, and I couldn’t wait to go back. On various visits, I have:

• Seen a man in blue plaid pants walking two dogs dressed in identical blue plaid pants
• Traipsed around the streets dressed as Sailor Moon during a public Halloween parade
• Been laughed at by kids for failing so badly at a rhythm game in a video game arcade
• Come across businessmen in sharp suits smoking cigarettes while betting on virtual horse races
• Accidentally walked into an Attack on Titan cosplay group’s photo shoot
• Paid money to play with really adorable cats (no regrets)

And now, with this guide, you can experience some of the unique things Ikebukuro has to offer, too! Here are some cool places to check out on your next trip. 

Sunshine City

Sunshine City is a massive shopping and entertainment complex that houses tons of stores, restaurants, an aquarium, a planetarium, a performance stage, and Namja Town and J-World Tokyo indoor theme parks.

If you’re a Pokémon fan or have some Pokémon fans back home, the Pokémon Center is chock-full of merchandise from the video games, card games, and TV show. It’s the perfect place to buy a souvenir or two or three. There’s room in your suitcase for another Pikachu or Eevee or Meowth plushie, right?

Harajuku isn’t the only place to find Japan’s latest fashion trends. Sunshine City has a bunch of cool Japanese clothing stores like Axes Femme, full of romantic, dreamy looks (think lacy dresses and billowy sleeves), and Ingni, which sells sophisticated casual attire.

Tokyu Hands

Do you want beautiful stationery? Art supplies? New luggage? A build-it-yourself miniature Honda S600? You can find all this and more at Tokyu Hands, an 8-story department store that seemingly sells everything. There are several Tokyu Hands throughout Japan, but Ikebukuro’s is very noticeable with its bright green sign and hands logo beckoning you in from the street. Though it’s technically built into Sunshine City, it gets its own section here since it’s an adventure all on its own.

Anime and Manga Goodies at Animate

There are many stores dedicated to anime and manga goods in the area, but the largest of all is Animate, a chain that has its flagship store in Ikebukuro. The multi-level store is overflowing with CDs, DVDs, manga, magazines, capsule machines, and merchandise. Everything is very organized with each display for popular franchises lovingly designed by the shop staff. It’s a bit of a sensory overload at first with the sights of shelves packed with merchandise, the bright fluorescent lights, and the stereos and TVs blaring advertisements for new music and shows. But that just makes the shopping experience more memorable.

Note: From my understanding, instead of buying everything in one go once you’re done shopping, you have to pay separately at every floor you want an item. Don’t be like me and take merchandise up to another floor, setting off some sort of alarm. There are probably signs telling you not to do this, but I must have been too over-stimulated by everything else to notice.

Vegetarian/Vegan Food at AIN SOPH.Soar

For some healthy bites, head over to AIN SOPH.Soar, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant with a rustic yet elegant feel that’s open for lunch and dinner. The menu consists of sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, rice dishes, and fluffy pancakes. For drinks, they offer specialty blended herb teas, coffee, and cold press juices.

I went for lunch and had a sandwich packed with a rainbow medley of vegetables, a side of thick fries, and herb tea. It was all delicious. Speaking of delicious…

Astrology-Themed Desserts at Milky Way Café

For amazing desserts in Ikebukuro, go to the Milky Way Café, a star-themed restaurant. It offers meals like omurice and sandwiches along with colorful ice cream soda floats, but the real draw is the parfait menu. Each parfait is artfully arranged to represent an astrological sign, with variances in ice cream flavors, sauces, add-ons like fruit and chocolate and whipped cream, etc. But there’s one consistent item – they are all topped with super cute star-shaped cookies!

The restaurant can be recognized by its tantalizing dessert display on the first floor and the star motifs found throughout the blue and white dining space on the second floor. A seat by the window grants customers a neat view of Ikebukuro’s busy streets. It’s open for lunch and dinner, and deciding what to order isn’t hard – just pick whichever dessert corresponds to your astrological sign!

Video Games at the Sega Arcade

Going to the Sega GiGO arcade for the first time was a surreal experience. I have always loved arcades, but Japan takes the concept and runs with it to create a giant behemoth of an arcade spanning multiple floors with games for everyone. Each floor is dedicated to a certain genre – one for crane games and UFO catchers, one for rhythm games, one for token games, etc. The top two floors are lined with purikura photo machines, one with a cosplay area.

Even more fun than the games themselves is just exploring every floor to see what unique things are offered. Some floors are covered with black walls, the room lit by the colorful illuminations emanating from the neon glow of the game machines. One floor, which smelled strongly of smoke, was full of Japanese businessmen betting on virtual horse races. In the purikura area, I once happened upon an amazing group of cosplayers dressed perfectly like characters from Attack on Titan. There are several Sega arcades around Japan, but the one in Ikebukuro is my favorite!

Note: The unspoken rule is that men should only enter the purikura floors if they are accompanied by a woman.

Adorable Kitties at a Cat Café

There are several cat cafés in Ikebukuro, but the one I went to was called 猫の居る休憩所299, roughly translating to “Rest area with cats 299.” I’m not sure what the 299 represents (they do NOT have 299 cats) but regardless, the cozy interior and warm lighting are designed for the ultimate relaxing experience – with dozens of adorable cats hanging out around you. They are everywhere: draped on shelves, sleeping in their beds, lounging on chairs, curled up in boxes, and playing with guests. You can tell they are well taken care of by the staff.

The venue has a drink station, wifi, and lots of lounges, desks, and chairs set up, so you can pick from the 2,000 manga lining the shelves, plop down in a comfy seat, and read in peace while a cat curls up on your lap. Since many apartments in Tokyo do not allow pets, this is a nice way for residents to interact with animals they wouldn’t be able to have at home. And it’s fun for tourists, too!

Some cat cafés charge by the hour, others by every 10- or 15-minute increment. This particular one charged 200 yen every 10 minutes. For an additional 500 yen, you can feed the cats some snacks. When I went, several cats were eagerly huddled around a couple feeding them treats. It was adorable just to watch.

I was the most at ease I have ever felt while in this kitty haven, so a visit makes for a relaxing way to end a fun day in Ikebukuro.

 

(All photos taken by Clara Juliette)

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