Animate Ikebukuro

Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo


Akihabara might get the most attention but Ikebukuro is a major player in the anime-manga-gamer universe. Case in point: Animate's Ikebukuro store is the largest of its kind in Japan. It also gets extra kudos from girl geeks (who are known to prefer Ikebukuro to Akiba), thanks to several floors devoted to their favourite series.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo attractions

1. Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center

0.53 MILES

This public safety centre has a room that simulates a real earthquake and it's not for the faint of heart (literally): what you experience is a level…

2. Myōnichikan

0.56 MILES

Lucky are the girls who attended the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed 'School of the Free Spirit' (Jiyū Gakuen; 自由学園). Built in 1921, Myōnichikan functioned as…

3. Zōshigaya-reien

0.58 MILES

On the outskirts of Ikebukuro and opened in 1875, Zōshigaya-reien is the final resting place of many influential writers and artists of the modern era …

4. St Mary's Cathedral Tokyo

1.24 MILES

Rising nearly 40m high and glistening in the sun, this stainless-steel contemporary cathedral was completed in 1955. It's the work of Japan's foremost…

5. Chinzan-sō

1.45 MILES

This strolling garden was once the estate of a Meiji-era statesman and is now the grounds of a luxury hotel, though it's open to the public. The shaded…

6. Astro Boy Mural

1.46 MILES

Japan's most celebrated manga artist Tezuka Osamu lived most of his life in Takadanobaba and the neighbourhood couldn't be prouder. In front of the…

7. Rikugi-en

1.8 MILES

Considered by many to be Tokyo's most elegant garden, Rikugi-en was originally completed in 1702, at the behest of a feudal lord. It is definitely the…

8. Yayoi Kusama Museum

2.03 MILES

Kusama Yayoi (b 1929) is one of Japan's most internationally famous contemporary artists, particularly known for her obsession with dots and pumpkins. She…