Ikebukuro (池袋;[ikebɯkɯɾo]) is a district inToshima,Tokyo,Japan. Centered aroundIkebukuro Station, the third-busiest railway station in Japan, it serves as one of Tokyo’s major commercial and entertainment districts and is considered a primary urban hub of northern Tokyo. Notable landmarks in Ikebukuro include the Toshima Ward Office, theSunshine City complex and the flagship department stores ofSeibu andTōbu.

Since the 1980s, Ikebukuro has also developed as a major residential center of theChinese community in Tokyo.

Thekanji for Ikebukuro literally means "pond bag" (池袋). Outside the west exit ofIkebukuro Station near an entrance to the Fukutoshin Line is a small plaque explaining how the area used to have multiple lakes, hence the name. There is a small statue of anowl located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (池梟像), meaningpond owl statue. It is a play on words, as "owl" (梟fukurō) is pronouncedsimilarly to "bag" (袋fukuro). The owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue ofHachikō located outsideShibuya Station.

The old village of Ikebukuro stands to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known asSugamo. In theTaishō andShōwa periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhatcosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro. Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independentmunicipality of Ikebukuro-mura (池袋村).

At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by theJR East lines, theSeibu Ikebukuro Line and theTōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo.Ikebukuro Station is the third-busiest station in Japan, and the world.^[1]

TheTokyo Metropolitan Theater is also located near Ikebukuro Station. Opened in 1990, the theater hosts concert, dance, and theater performances.^[2]

In July 2020, Hareza Ikebukuro, a cultural hub that includes the Hareza Tower and eight theaters, including the Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall opened around the site of the former Toshima Ward Office.^[3]

The Nishiikebukuro district, a school designed by the American architectFrank Lloyd Wright is installed. NamedJiyū Gakuen Myōnichikan, it was built in 1921 and is opened to visitors.^[4]

Around the station are theSeibu and Tōbudepartment stores.Seibu, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)" (西武), is on the east end of the station andTōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" (東武), is on the west end. East of the station, on the site ofSugamo Prison, standsSunshine 60, which was the tallest building in Asia at the time of its construction.

Opened in 1978, Sunshine 60 contains Sunshine City, a large and popular shopping mall with various attractions including an aquarium, aPokémon Center andcat cafés. Adjacent to Sunshine City, on Meiji Dori, is what was previously called the Toyota Ikebukuro Building which housed a multi-floorToyota Autosalon Amlux showroom from 2000 to 2013. The building is now called Sunshine City Annex since 2019.Otome Road, a center forotaku culture and shopping district foranime andmanga aimed at women, is located nearby.Marui andDon Quijote also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro isBic Camera. There is a small pleasure district located in Nishi-Ikebukuro, similar toShinjuku'sKabukichō.

Ikebukuro is home to manyethnic Chinese who arrived in the 1980s, leading to a variety of Chinese goods and services being provided in the district, which are popular among tourists interested inChinese culture. However, the Ikebukuro Chinatown is smaller and less populous thanYokohama's Chinatown just to the south of Tokyo.^[5]

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2017)

Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Toshima Ward Board of Education.

Ikebukuro Elementary School (豊島区立池袋小学校) is in Ikebukuro.^[6] Ikebukuro itself is zoned to Ikebukuro Elementary School and Nishi Ikebukuro Junior High School (西池袋中学校), the latter inNishi Ikebukuro [ja]. Ikebukuro Junior High School (池袋中学校) is inIkebukuro Honchō [ja] and does not serve Ikebukuro proper.^[7]

Public high schools are operated by theTokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

Rikkyo Ikebukuro Junior and Senior High School, a private secondary school, is in the area.

Universities near Ikebukuro station includeRikkyo University andTokyo International University.

TheKyokuto-kai (yakuza syndicate) is headquartered in Ikebukuro.^[8]

• Ikebukuro is the setting of the Japanese manga and TV dramaIkebukuro West Gate Park.
• Ikebukuro is the setting of the Japaneselight novel,anime, andmanga seriesDurarara!!.
• "Ikebukuro" is the name of a 16-minute-long track from theBrian Eno album,The Shutov Assembly.
• Ikebukuro is also represented in the multimedial project byKing RecordsHypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle
• Ikebukuro is a common location in theMegami Tensei series of video games.
• The train station of Ikebukuro is featured inLost Judgment.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toIkebukuro.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forTokyo/Ikebukuro.

• Tokyo travel
• JapanVisitor

35°43′48″N139°42′40″E / 35.73000°N 139.71111°E /35.73000; 139.71111

• Ikebukuro
• Districts of Toshima
• Neighborhoods of Tokyo

• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Japanese-language text
• Articles to be expanded from October 2017
• All articles to be expanded
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata