17 Ikebukuro／池袋

Ikebukuro Station is ranked third in the world in terms of number of passengers (following Shinjuku Station and Shibuya Station).  Two private railroads extending to suburban residential areas and three subway lines are connected at the station and, even in the COVID-19 situation, 2,000,000 people use the station every day.  The first and second largest department stores in Tokyo, the second largest electronics retail store in Tokyo and the first and nineth largest bookstores in Tokyo are located close to the station.

Before the World War II, Ikebukuro was not such a big commercial town.  In the 1910s-1930s, many artists, writers and poets lived in this area, which was called “Ikebukuro Montparnasse”.  After the Tokyo Toshima Normal School was established in 1909 and Rikkyo University (Saint Paul’s University) moved to Ikebukuro in 1918, Ikebukuro became known as an educational district.  Below is a photo of Jiyu Gakuen School, which was established in 1921 by the journalists Motoko and Yoshikazu Hanyu based on Christianity.  The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

On the site where the Tokyo Toshima Normal School was located stands the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater, which has one of the top concert halls in Tokyo, one play house with 800 seats and two multipurpose halls.  In addition to the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater, Ikebukuro has two popular private playhouses established in 1970s and seven movie theaters with many screens including two classic film theaters.

The north side of Ikebukuro Station is called “Ikebukuro Chinatown”.  Although it is not like a gorgeous Chinatown in Yokohama but rather like a somewhat shadowy corner of a city, there are grocery stores, restaurants, karaoke bars and a bookstore mainly for Chinese people living in Tokyo.

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