Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro has anything from aquariums, shopping areas, department stores, and lots of good restaurants. One I would recommend here is the "Mutekiya ramen". It can be crowded especially during lunch hours though.

Ikebukuro is one of the main stations on the famous Yamanote train line, so it was very easy to reach. Upon arriving in Ikebukuro I found that the station had many exits, but when you follow the signs to Sunshine City it leads you the lively Sunshine shopping street and eventually Sunshine City a huge mall with even more shops, the sunshine Aquarium and a planetarium. I've spend my whole afternoon and evening here and will definitely come back again to visit the huge Animate store, anime fans' dreamland.

Ikebukuro is a very fun area and my favorite spot there is Sunshine city! A mall with an aquarium, ice cream city, planetarium, and much more! Really fun spot!!! Great to hang out as a couple or friends!

This place reminds me of the TLC song red light special. The nightlife here is pretty interesting. I don't know if I love it or hate it. It's great for groups of more than 4 to go running the night streets but make this a two person journey and it's nuts. I learned here is where many people try to get you in their bars or clubs. These clubs are those exactly what they seem like type clubs. Make eye contact to almost any of the people and they will spot you like a 10,000 yen bill on the ground. Other than that this place is a fun experience even to feel as if you're in some Japanese gangster movie. So rules, don't make eye contact unless you want to be bothered about clubs. You have to pay to get in some even if you want to look, and yes it's like Nigerian and Yakuza movies.

Ikebukuro differs from the rest of Tokyo. With a huge pedestrian zone and lots of shops of every kind, Ikebukuro is good for shopping, looking for novel products or just walking around. Near the station there is a great music store called Ishibashi where you can find lo's of guitars, as well as drums, pianos, keyboards, and other music equipment. You are allowed to test them all for free! A fantastic place for musicians who don't have their instrument with them but want to play.

Probably a great place to visit if you have teenage sons or daughters, but for me, this isn't the case, and a trip to Ikebukuro often fills me with disappointment. Simply, Ikebukuro makes me feel old. The area seems to be a place where the youth of today hang out. Shops cater to this too, and there are attractions that are simply not great for adults. Saying that, Ikebukuro does feature some very nice artwork, and, there are many areas here where you can catch a street performance; statues and live painting seem popular with the kids these days. Coffee shops are aplenty, which is good because I do like coffee, but other than that, everything else is spread a little too far apart, and a visit here doesn't seem to be worth it.