So, back in Tokyo again, huh? You’ve taken a hundred selfies with the Hachi statue in Shibuya, trekked through all the museums, rode up both Tokyo Tower and Skytree, walked through Ueno zoo, eaten your weight in crepes all the way down Takeshita dori in Harajuku, shopped till you dropped, been to the Maid Café in Akihabara, and even braved Tsukiji fish market. What’s left to do?
Well look no further! Ikebukuro has you covered!
Besides Harajuku and Odaiba, Ikebukuro is one of my favorite places in Tokyo. There are a lot of fun things to do, including multiple restaurants and shops, cat cafes, (even a butler café! It is definitely on my bucket list but a bit tricky to get a reservation) two movie theaters, multiple arcades, and a Book-off, with the star attraction Sunshine City, home to a cool place called J-World! If you’re an anime fan, or even if you’ve only watched a single episode of Pokemon, it’s a great place to check out! Mostly the appeal is the food, taking pictures, and trying to win carnival games for anime goods. There are mini games and activities scattered throughout, plus small rides and shows you can pay extra to see. I was super stoked the first time I went here, having seen it featured on TV. It’s like stepping inside the anime world!
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| Enter the world of anime! |
When you first enter you walk into a darkened room with screens on the walls displaying different anime characters. There’s a thing in the middle where you wait for your favorite character to appear on the screen, then slap it quick before it disappears and they’ll appear on the big screen on the wall and say a little message!
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| Hurry, before they disappear! |
From here you can choose to enter One Piece, Naruto, Dragonball or the J-World Kitchen and gift shop areas. You can sit down and eat your ramen at none other than Ichiraku ramen, tour the lockers of Haikyu, and be serenaded by Frankie himself!
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| Ichiraku ramen! |
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| I'll have one miso ramen, please. |
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| Frankie's jammin'! |
J-World is also home to J-World Kitchen, where you can eat ramen just like Naruto or chow down on some burgers to fuel up for a game of basketball like the cast of Kuroko no Basuke!
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| Really cool, detailed art on the walls. |
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| Mm! I'll have what he's having! |
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| Ramen! |
I opted for the Prince of Tennis curry, which was yummy! The portions are pretty reasonable for the price and look really cool, so I definitely recommend eating here at least once.
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| This came with it for free! |
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| Not familiar with this anime, but this is what my friend ordered! There was a little hot dog inside the pita "pants" pocket... |
There’s also a little area dedicated to displaying original storyboard art and questionnaires straight from the mangaka themselves. The gift shop sells specialty anime products which can run a bit pricey so bring extra cash if you’re set on buying something here.
Besides the One Piece, Naruto, and Dragonball areas, the other space rotates through different anime that’s currently popular such as Haikyu and Kuroko no Basuke. When I visited last year they were featuring the Prince of Tennis, though sadly it’s been replaced since (T_T)
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| One Piece merry-go-round, one of the attractions at J-World. |
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| They have a little game here where you can win prizes. |
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| Got to pose next to my favorite POT character, Ryoma! |
This year they have a new exhibit dedicated to Haikyu and Kuroko no Basuke!
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| One of the free games. |
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| Another game. |
See that little desk and chair? There's an iPad there where you can quiz yourself on a variety of topics, which questions relating to the show. Also there's a display of the characters' gym lockers - the first is ok, but the second has been overtaken by mold! Gross! Someone has some spring cleaning to do!
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| Ew!! Mold infestation! |
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| Quick, there he his! |
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| Kamehameha! |
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| My pic from last year - I think he was more excited to take his picture with me than I was! |
The DragonBall Z area is pretty ligit!
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| Awesome props! |
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| Away I go! |
J-World is 800 yen for general admission, with an unlimited pass that allows you to access all the rides and attractions for 2600 yen. You can also purchase tickets in advance on their website. I would suggest going with the general admission unless you’re really into small rides/attractions. There are also various mini games around J-World you can play for free as many times as you like, just like this one! The goal is to touch as many of the bells when they light up within the time limit. There’s also a balance exercise that tests your chakra control!
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| Can you steal those bells from Kakashi-sensei? The future of your ninja career depends on it! |
In addition there's tons of other fun and wacky things around J-World - make sure you take your picture!
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| Agh! |
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| Punch Choji in the stomach and he shouts at you! So fun. |
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| Uh-oh. Looks like someone going around without any underwear.... |
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| Naturally there are special capsule machines. |
Don't forget to pose for some awesome pics!
This thing is fun! Stand behind it and wait for an unsuspecting victim, then pull back on the lever and fire a blast of air!
Here are some of the carnival games. Knock down the players with a blast of air from your tennis racket!
Food ranges from 800-1000 yen, with desserts between 600-800. The major attraction with the food is presentation – definitely snap a pic before you devour it!
Sunshine City is a huge mall chock full of all sorts of stuff to do. In addition to J-World, there’s also Namja town.
Interestingly enough it was opened by the video game company Namco, yet has absolutely nothing to do with video games. I have yet to visit it, but looks like a cool place to check out! Basically it’s three different areas devoted to gyoza (dumplings/potstickers) and ice cream, plus carnival games, a haunted house, and special character goods. At only 500 yen, admission is dirt cheap! After that you can pick and choose how much food you want to indulge in depending on your appetite. Or for unlimited access to rides and attractions, you can splurge for the 3,300 yen price. You can enjoy different unique varieties of gyoza and ice cream – and not just standard chocolate and vanilla. We’re talking extreme flavors. Flavors such as shark fin ramen, squid, snake?! Luckily they do have normal flavors as well for the less adventurous like me.
Once you’re stuffed from either J-world, Namja town, or both, waddle your way down to the Pokemon center! That’s right, every sort of Pokemon product you could ever want and never even knew you wanted in one place. Everything from plushies to folder files to pens to keychains to sweets, and beyond! And all are products you can’t get back in the states!
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| Pokeballs on the ceiling?! Mind blown. |
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| Super cute Halloween version! |
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| Giant pokeball! |
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| Plushies as far as the eye can see! |
The same goes for the Disney store, also in Sunshine City; it’s irresistible for Disney lovers! With both you’ll find the cutest products you’ve ever seen! There’s even an aquarium, theater, observatory, and planetarium! Basically you’ll never get bored here.
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| Ono! (Delish!) |
My favorite place to eat is Kua’aina burger, which serves up Hawaiian burgers and fries. Nearby is my favorite ice cream place in Tokyo, Blue Seal, which has delectable Okinawan flavors! Definitely order the beni’imo (purple sweet potato) and coconut or Okinawan sugar ice cream. A bit pricey but worth it. I could eat it all day!
Oh, and there's also a nearby park with tons of cats hanging around! Aww!
Directions:
Hop on the good ol’ Yamanote line to Ikebukuro station. From there things get a little tricky – this is one of the most confusing stations I’ve ever been to! You want exit 35, and be on the lookout for signs pointing the way to sunshine city. Taking exit 35, head straight and take a slight left at the signal and follow the crowd down the main street. Sunshine city is at the end on the right hand side; take the escalator down and you’ll see Blue Seal and immediately have to buy some of that beni’imo ice cream to eat on your way to J-World. The mall can also be a little tricky to navigate, but go straight past the Kua’aina burger, where you might be tempted to make a pit stop before entering the main mall, head inside and take the escalator up to the third floor. Namja town is on the second, as well as the Pokemon center. Be sure to bring plenty of money for unique souvenirs and food, your appetite, and a photo-taking device with storage capacity for at least a few hundred pictures! Happy trekking!
Sunshine City: http://www.sunshinecity.co.jp/english/index.html
J-World: http://www.namco.co.jp/tp/j-world/
Namja town: http://www.namco.co.jp/tp/namja/
Pokemon center: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/gp/pokecen/english/
Blue Seal: http://en.blueseal.co.jp/
Kua'aina: http://www.kua-aina.com/
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