Ikebukuro – Jet-Set Japan

Pokemon in Tokyo

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019Modern Culture/SpotsLeave a Comment

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The photos above are from Pokemon Center MEGA TOKYO that is located in Sunshine City (Ikebukuro). If you or anybody you know loves Pokemon, you must visit one of the many official shops which are located across Japan.

Tokyo also has tons of parks where you can play Pokemon Go. I took the screenshot above a little after Pokemon Go was released, and I was able to level up really fast by going to parks with nests and walking endlessly.

For those playing Pokemon Go, I used to play a lot at (click on the links to go to Google Maps) Kinshi Park, Odaiba (I liked Odaiba Kaihin-Koen), Yoyogi Park, and Shinjuku. Make sure you stop at a convenience store for water and some onigiri to replenish your energy, but also be careful not to use all of your smart phone’s battery or pocket wifi’s battery & data!

Ikebukuro Part 2 – Sunshine City

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019Modern Culture/Spots, ShoppingLeave a Comment

Following our last post which was a brief introduction of Ikebukuro, Part 2 is about Sunshine City.

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Sunshine City is a huge area that encompasses an entire block of the Ikebukuro area, and it has shops, restaurants, an aquarium, and the Prince Hotel is located in the same block.

If you look at the Sunshine City Guide Map (in English), you’ll notice two shopping areas within Sunshine City: alpa and ALTA.

The alpa Shop Guide is very detailed with a list of recommended shops & restaurants that include descriptions.

The Play & Watch link on the Sunshine City webpage has “Recommended Courses” that show plans depending on your interests.

For example, you can go to the aquarium in the morning, have a quick lunch on one of the lower floors, do some shopping, and then have dinner while looking over the city in the Sky Restaurant Area (Japanese website).

If you’re in Ikebukuro, definitely check out Sunshine City even for just a few hours.

Ikebukuro – Part 1

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019Accommodations, FAQ, Food and Drink, Shopping, Trains, Shinkansen, TransportationLeave a Comment

For the first leg, second part of their first leg, Brandon and his friends stayed in Ikebukuro.

Ikebukuro is located kind of in the north part of Tokyo’s 23 special wards. It doesn’t have the greatest access to and from airports for first-timers with luggage, but it is quite conveniently located for travel to other parts of Tokyo: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, etc.

Here’s some info about Ikebukuro (based on a template we created in our Recommended Areas to Stay in Tokyo post.

The thumbs up and thumbs down in the access to/from Haneda and Narita is based on whether or not a first-time traveler with luggage would have to change trains. If you are comfortable with the transportation system in Japan, changing trains once or twice might not be too much of a burden, depending on which station you are transferring at, of course.

As for shopping, Seibu Department Store, Lumine Department Store, Tobu Department Store, Parco, Sunshine City are a few major places people go shopping.

For those who want to eat and drink the night away, Ikebukuro has no shortage of places, including a lot of authentic Chinese restaurants near the station’s west gate.

Here is an update version of the “Recommended Areas to Stay in Tokyo” table.

Our next post will be about Sunshine City!