TOP 21 Things to Do in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

TOP 21 Things to Do in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

(upbeat music) – Hey guys, welcome back to Tokyo Cheapo. I’m your host Patricia, and today we’ve got
Aila with us here today. – Hi! – We’re here in Ikebukuro Station. – [Aila] It’s got shops,
cafes, restaurants, and anime. So it’s kind of like if you merge Shinjuku and Akihabara together. – True that. So stay till the end, because we’re gonna share
some tips and tricks. Let’s start exploring. (playful music) One thing about Ikebukuro you
might not have known is that it’s great access. So they’ve got a bus that goes straight to Haneda or Narita Airport. So really great for if
you’re visiting Japan. As you can see, there’s
also a lot of bus stops. So you can actually take a
bus all the way to Fukushima or Kyoto like Shah has. I’ve also gone on day trips
and it starts in Ikebukuro. So there’s actually a place
right there that says, “kousoku basu noriba”
which means “highway bus.” So if you want to go around
Japan or get to the airport, you can start right here at Ikebukuro. – I’m outside Shakey’s right now and it’s a chain restaurant. It’s a guilty pleasure for sure. It’s a chain restaurant
for pizzas all you can eat. I know you might be thinking, “What?” But there’s just rows
and rows of just pizza, different types of pizza,
like even honey pizza, which is like crazy, but in Japan, it’s really, really like
famous and good, really good. If you’re craving a pizza hub buffet, this might be the best place to come. There’s just so many
different types of pizzas that you wouldn’t even
have been thinking about, Like the honey pizza. Have you tried the honey pizza? – No, but I just saw that
they had a world tour and they have Sweden. – Oh!
– Let’s go! – Let’s go! This might be the only
reason I come to Ikebukuro. The round one, bowling. It’s so fun, right in Sunshine City, right next to the station. It’s so easy to get to. So you might be wondering,
why would I ever come here? Well, in terms of indoor activity, there’s so much to do all in one roof. There’s bowling, karaoke,
drinks, Saizeriya. It’s a great place to come
if it’s raining outside, if you don’t wanna walk around, if it’s too hot, too cold, whatever, great indoor place. – If you’re into Japanese arcades, Ikebukuro has a ton of different options. This street alone probably
has like four or five that we already passed, one of them being that Gigo right there. I’m pretty sure I also
saw several Gigos down a couple blocks, so lots of options. If you’re into retro games, you’ve probably already
come across this place called Super Potato in Akihabara. But what you didn’t know is
that there’s actually a store here in Ikebukuro. This store is a little bit smaller, so they have less stock, but it’s a lot less crowded
than the one in Akihabara and if you’re in the area, might as well pop in and take a look. So Ikebukuro is actually
the third busiest station in the world with 2.5 million people who pass by every single day. That can also be quite overwhelming, but that means there’s
a lot to see and do. However, if you’re into
something a little bit more quiet or traditional, then you can actually hop on a train and go directly to Kawagoe. It’s only a one direct train ride away and you can make a whole day out of it, so you can spend the daytime there and then come here at night
for drinks and shopping. And if you wanna find
out more about Kawagoe, you can check out the video
we made earlier this year. We’re right here in
front of Sunshine City, which is a iconic spot here in Ikebukuro. This actually holds a lot
of my childhood memories. There’s like a rooftop observatory, lots and lots of shopping, and I think one of the biggest
Pokemon centers in Tokyo. And I have actually been
to the Namja Town here. It’s kinda like a theme park
that’s got a lot of cats. I think their main characters are cats. It’s fun, it’s small. They’re known for having
little dumpling snacks. So behind me is the Namja Town that I was talking about earlier. It’s basically like a theme park. It’s mainly catered towards kids though, so I recommend it for
anybody who’s bringing kids or if you want a little date idea, they do have some rides
and little photo spots that’s very Showa era. It’s a small little activity
to do while you’re here. I do recommend it. It’s also right behind the Pokemon Center. So as you guys saw, Sunshine
City has a lot to offer. In my personal opinion, I feel like you can do a lot more here than maybe Shibuya Parko or some of the other department stores just ’cause I’ve spent a whole day here. Lots of activities, food, shopping, and I feel like maybe
it’s a little bit quieter than the other department stores as well. – We didn’t get to see it, but if you go a little further down, there’s the Sunshine Alta,
where there’s a lot more things. There’s a lot of subculture stuff. For example, there’s Village Vanguard. We didn’t get to show you the observatory, but if you guys would like to see a video, then comment down below. – We just got our bakudanyakis and Shah and Aila did not
know what a bakudanyaki is. (Patricia singing in Japanese) But it’s basically one big takoyaki ball with 10 different ingredients. And what makes it special is, I actually haven’t seen
this in other places in central Tokyo, which is probably why
they haven’t seen it. It’s usually in the outskirts. They’ve got different
toppings, different flavors, and it’s cool because you
just get everything in one. – [Aila] I got the double mentaiko cheese. – I got the regular but with cheese. So, shall we eat?
– Let’s dig in. – Okay.
– I have no idea what to expect.
– Yeah, I’m excited. It’s messy but it’s very filling. Oh, it’s hot, oh, it’s hot. – It’s like, yeah, takoyaki, but you know the soft part of
the inside of the takoyaki? It’s just like that, kind of. You know what I mean? Like,
it’s like expanded takoyaki, which is, yeah, exactly what it is, but this is really nice. – Yeah, you’d expect when
you look at the pictures, It’s all round, but it’s
actually very messy and gooey. For those of you who don’t know, bakudan actually means bomb, so it’s kind of supposed to
resemble a bomb of ingredients. Itadakimasu. Oh, how I missed it. Oh, it’s so nice. – [Shah] When was the
last time you had one? – A few years ago. Who would I suggest this to? Anybody who likes takoyaki or okonomiyaki? Battered foods.
– Oh, yeah. That’s true. – They use the same sauce. – It’s like if you make
takoyaki and okonomiyaki mixed together, they had a
baby, this would be kinda it. – All right, we’re gonna finish
up our messy bakudanyakis and keep it moving. See you in the next one. – So across the street from Sunshine City is the Otome Road, where
you’d find a lot of shoujo, manga, anime content and merch. That kind of subculture content,
there’s a lot on this road right across Sunshine
City, so check that out. Also, there is the Anime
Cafe, where you’d see a lot of anime pop-ups and collaborations. And Ikebukuro is kind of known
for a lot of themed cafes and restaurants and bars. There’s the Vampire Cafe,
which is actually a bar, which is really cool. And Shah recently went to a BL cafe and he seemed to really enjoy it. So check those out as well. – If you want a cute way
to go around Ikebukuro, you can take the Ikebus. They’ve got two different
routes, Route A and Route B, and it’ll take you to
pretty much everything that you can see, all the
places you’d wanna visit. – [Aila] There are way too
many things to see and eat or do around Ikebukuro,
let alone all of Tokyo. And we know how overwhelming
planning can get. So if you need some help,
Klook has you covered. Booking things in Japan can
normally be quite difficult, but you’ll be able to
browse through activities all across Japan in your home language and easily use your
international credit card to book those memorable
moments you’re looking for. Book your trip to Sunshine Aquarium and head to the 60th
floor of Sunshine City. Then feast on all you
can eat wagyu yakiniku, all you can drink too. Could finish the day off with a trip to the famous and fun muscle girl bar. If you’re after something more hands-on, how about a manga creation experience? And if you just wanna get
away from the city a bit, there’s something for you too. Klook also has regular flash
sales and seasonal discounts, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for those on their website. Check out the link in
the description below to get started straight away on planning and booking your tickets
on your PC or phone. – If you’re looking for a
quiet or more traditional feel, you can head over to Zoshigaya, which is where we’re at right now. This place has a more old-fashioned feel. They’ve got little streets
that have cute cafes and little shops. Given it’s so different from Ikebukuro, it’s kind of crazy to think
it’s only a 15-minute walk away from Ikebukuro Station. Or you can take a tram that’s one stop. One stop or walk 15 minutes. Also, I don’t know if you guys noticed, but there’s a lot of owls in this town. There’s a connection with
owls based on this old tale. I would tell you more, but
I have to do some research. – This tree is more than 450 years old. – And it’s ancient!
– It’s ancient! – [Patricia] Would you look at that! – Oh my, they’ve seen so much probably. You know, all the fights, all
the Edo period samurai fights. They’ve seen it all. – Senpai. Wow. See? There it is again, the owls. – Oh yeah! Oh, there’s so many! – Yeah. So this is the owls that the girl had to make and sell to cure her mother’s sickness, apparently.
– And it’s still selling to this day. – One iconic spot in this area is actually the Kishimojin Temple. This is a Buddhist temple
that’s dedicated to a goddess that’s responsible for safe
childbirth or child-wearing. So if you’re visiting Tokyo
and want to get a baby, maybe come here. This is actually a power spot. So a lot of couples will
come here for good luck when trying for a baby. They’ve also got several
different shrines and temples in this area, which also
gives it that local feel that Ikebukuro doesn’t have. – So inside the temple,
there’s a really old dagashiya. Dagashi is like Japanese snacks. – Yeah, typically traditional
snacks for children. – And it’s called Kamikawaguchiya. And you can see all types of very retro, but amazing snacks that you can find. All this was what, 100 and- – 40 yen?
– Yeah, absolutely. – These are my childhood snacks. Guys, this is like
Japanese children’s snacks. So this one’s my pick. This is kinakobo, which is
the, it’s like a mochi stick, but covered with soybean flour. – Is it hard on the inside? – Chewy.
– And finally, I got kombu, which is basically seaweed. It’s kind of like dried seaweed, but not fully dried like
one of those Korean ones where you’re like, you
know, not like that. But like, this is more like a chewy dried. – I’m surprised that she got this one. Let’s see. What? This is what they looked like? – Yeah, there’s like a
lot of salt kind of on it, but it’s like sweet salt. – Yes, okay, thank you. It has like vinegar flavor, right? – Yeah, yeah, yeah.
– Yeah. – Yay, cheers.
– Cheers. – Oh, that’s so, I forgot. – It’s good, right? – It’s acidic a little bit. It’s got that vinegar flavor. Thank you. A little bit sweet, and you don’t feel guilty when trying it. – [Both] Cheers. – Oh, I’ve never had this before. Interesting. – So the kinako, it’s nice
because it has that chewiness, but it’s also a little bit firm. And the outside dust or soybean flour, kind of sweet, savory, nutty. Yeah, this is a childhood favorite. And dagashi is actually
kind of like dying out, the dagashi culture. So being able to see this one, especially in the temple grounds, I’ve never seen dagashi
in temple grounds before. It’s a lucky find, I would say. So if you ever stop by one, do go inside and try some of their treats. – Especially one that’s been
standing here for so long. – Yeah, I think this is the oldest one. – No, don’t make me do it. – How long?
– Don’t make me do it. Since 1781. – What is the math of that?
– Oh my God. 100 and… 55. 155 years ago. – [Shah] Almost 250 years old. – Hey, wait, do you need
your fingers? (laughs) – 244.
– 244 years that it’s been standing here, going from family member to family member. All the things they must
have seen, you know? If you’re after places like Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, then
come here to Mikuni Koji. It’s basically the same kind of vibes. There’s about 28 little
restaurants, stalls, bars, and you’ll find what you want right here. Check out the vibe, see what you like, and just try going in. Maybe you’ll love it. And here, we have Animate, the
world’s biggest anime store. They actually won a Guinness World Record for the biggest anime store recently. And this place is literally
nine full floors of just goods and mangas and contents and literally everything you can think of, they’ll probably have. On the base floor as well
they have an anime theater. Come here if you want any
anime goods or manga, or DVDs. So these nine floors feels like an infinite amount of anime goods. They’ve got literally
everything you can think of, but they’re also seasonal. So if you wanna get something,
you better come quickly. – So in Ikebukuro and
also the Zoshigaya area, there’s a lot of owls all around the city. This one is right by the anime area and it looks like Hedwig, which does lead me to my next point, is that the Warner Brothers Studio is actually in this Toshima area as well. It’s at Toshimaen. So if you do come to Ikebukuro, you can also make a whole day out of it. Start your day at the
Warner Brothers Studio, then come to Ikebukuro for
shopping and drinks at night. One thing you didn’t know about Ikebukuro they actually have a wide
selection of ethnic foods. I think there are some stores that sell like Southeast Asian
foods, and personally, I come here whenever I crave
some real Chinese food. So the store behind me is where I can get some Chinese snacks that
are really hard to find in Japan elsewhere, or
there’s a supermarket. My favorite yaki shoronpo place is actually right around the corner. So you can get some ethnic foods here. – We’re at the Nishiguchi Park, where it was developed
in the last few years, so it’s very new. There’s a Global Ring Cafe, so you can maybe get a coffee,
there’s some food as well, and behind me there is a… (crickets chirping) – [Shah] It’s called a stage. – Stage, there’s a stage, a theater stage. So maybe you can catch
a performance or two if the timing is right. If you’re looking for a
little bit more greenery in a different park, then you
could go to Minamiguchi Park. Minami, Minami Park. Mi, Minamiguchi Park. It is, right? – [Shah] Is this like
you’re learning language for the first time? – Okay, Minami-Ikebukuro Park. Where it’s on the other
side at Minamiguchi. It’s a big green patch with
sometimes performances, there’s a lot of cafes, it’s a nice little area to relax as well. A little different to this. – We’re here at the
rooftop of Seibu Ikebukuro, which is right on top of the station. And this was supposed to be one of our main recommendations of this video. However, unfortunately, we
came at a terrible timing when they had all these
refurbishments and renovations. So a lot of the building
was actually closed, under construction. We did make it up here
to the rooftop though. There are still some things
that need to be finished, but it’s a great quiet place, a nice escape from Ikebukuro Station. – Maybe you can bring up
your drinks, food, anything. Some people are even working up here. It’s a nice quiet area to
just relax above the chaos. And hopefully, you know, who knows, maybe there’ll be a bar or a restaurant that gets built here, and then
it’ll be more lively and fun. And-
– Some music. – Exactly, exactly. So we’re hoping for the best, but this place already is so huge and nice that I think even without
the bar and restaurant, it’d still be a great place to come. – Yeah, actually, there’s
also a gardening shop and a tree, a shop that
sells trees back there. So it’s really interesting. If you’re into that, you can do that. – There’s no specific views from here, so this would be a purely just relaxed, chill area rather than go for a view. I mean, honestly, it’s not a bad place to just come and chill. – Yeah.
– I think it’s really nice. – Yeah, like you get food downstairs, get some drinks, come up here, chill, and you’re still in Ikebukuro. You can like go down
straight to the station. It’s genuinely, I would
come here with my friends. So that was the end of the video with some of our
recommendations for Ikebukuro. There are loads more, so
if you want more videos about Ikebukuro, comment down below. My favorite today was Bowling Round One. I might be biased because I
just come here all the time just for that, but what was yours? – Honestly, my favorite
part was probably just going to the bakudanyaki shop and
seeing her reaction to it. I definitely recommend
if you’re in the area, go check that out. All right, well, thank you
guys so much for watching until the end of the video, and we will catch you in the next one. Like, subscribe, and comment. Bye, guys.

Ikebukuro Guide – https://tokyocheapo.com/entertainment/things-to-do-in-ikebukuro/
Klook – https://www.klook.com/?aid=513&aff_adid=947706&aff_pid=&aff_sid=&utm_medium=affiliate-alwayson&utm_source=non-network&utm_campaign=513&utm_term=&utm_content=&aff_klick_id=89526363264-513-947706-627bab2

Patricia – https://www.instagram.com/whatthepato || @whatthepato
Shot & produced by @Anocam

Ikebukuro combines the commercial atmosphere of Shinjuku with the pop-culture feeling of Akihabara. You can satisfy a group of tourists with different interests — anime, fashion, and electronics — by taking them on a day out in Ikebukuro.

This large commercial district has lots to offer the avid deal hunter too, with good beer, slurp-worthy ramen, and a shopping mall as big as a small town.

== CHAPTERS ==
00:00 Intro
00:29 1 – Busses to Haneda, Narita & all around Japan
00:57 2 – Aila’s guilty pleasure – Shakey’s Pizza
01:34 3 – Round One
01:59 4 – Arcades galore!
02:15 5 – Super Potato Ikebukuro
02:31 Ikebukuro station is a huge transport hub
02:41 6 – Head to Kawagoe
02:59 7 – Sunshine City
04:17 8 – Bakudan-yaki – A GIANT takoyaki
05:54 9 – Otome Road
06:28 10 – Hop on the Ikebus!
06:38 An easy way to book your experiences
07:31 11 – Zoshigaya
07:47 12 – Ride the Tokyo Sakura Tram
08:35 13 – Kishimojin Temple
09:02 14 – Kami-Kawaguchiya – selling candy since 1781
11:34 15 – Mikuni Koji
11:51 16 – Animate – the world’s largest anime goods store
12:33 17 – Warner Bros. Studio Tour
12:53 18 – Great selection of other asian cuisines and goods
13:17 19 – Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park
12:38 20 – Minami-Ikebukuro Park
14:06 21 – Seibu Ikebukuro Roof Garden
15:38 Outro

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* Japanese Salaryman Asleep https://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/
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