Ikebukuro
Encyclopedia
is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station
, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.
At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East
lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station
is the second busiest station in Japan, second only to Shinjuku Station
.
Around the station are the Seibu
and Tōbu department store
s. Seibu
, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)
" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison
, stands Sunshine 60
, which was Tokyo's tallest building at the time of its construction. Adjacent to Sunshine City, on Meiji-Dori is the Toyota Amlux Building which houses the Toyota showroom. Otome Road
, a leading shopping area for otaku
products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui
and Don Quijote
also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera
. There is a small pleasure district located in Nishi-Ikebukuro, similar to Shinjuku
's Kabukichō.
The old village of Ikebukuro stood to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known as Sugamo
. In the Taishō
and Shōwa
periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro. Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independent municipality
of Ikebukuro-mura
(池袋村).
The kanji
for Ikebukuro literally means pond bag. Outside the west exit of Ikebukuro station near an entrance to the Fukutoshin Line is a small plaque explaining three origins of the name Ikebukuro. The first is that in the northeastern part of the village there was a lake shaped like someone holding a bag. The second is that there was once a large number of lakes in the area of various sizes (thus implying a bag full of lakes). The third is that long ago a turtle came out of the lake carrying a bag on its back.
There is a small statue of an owl located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (いけふくろう像), meaning lake owl statue. It is a play on words from the alternative meaning of "fukuro" as "owl" (although owl is pronounced with a long final "oh", rather than a short "o" in the word "fukuro" for bag). The owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue of Hachikō
located outside of Shibuya Station
.
.
designated yakuza syndicate is headquartered in Ikebukuro.
. It is also the setting of the Japanese light novel series, anime
, and manga
, Durarara!!
. "Ikebukuro" is also the name of a 16-minute long track from the Brian Eno
album, "The Shutov Assembly
."
Ikebukuro Station
is a railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.71 million passengers on an average daily in 2007, it is the second-busiest train station in the world , and the busiest station in the Tobu, Seibu and Tokyo Metro networks. It primarily serves commuters from...
, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.
At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
Seibu Ikebukuro Line
The is a commuter railway line of the Japanese private railway operator Seibu Railway. It originates at Ikebukuro Station, a large railway junction in north-western Tokyo, extending to northwest suburbs as far as Tokorozawa, Saitama, and nominally terminates at Agano Station.The Seibu Chichibu...
and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station
Ikebukuro Station
is a railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.71 million passengers on an average daily in 2007, it is the second-busiest train station in the world , and the busiest station in the Tobu, Seibu and Tokyo Metro networks. It primarily serves commuters from...
is the second busiest station in Japan, second only to Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
.
Around the station are the Seibu
Seibu Department Stores
is a Japanese department store. The first store to trade under the name opened its doors in 1949. Seibu is typical of Japanese department stores with a wide variety of stores doing business on several floors. The company is now a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd..-Japan:The Seibu...
and Tōbu department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s. Seibu
Seibu Railway
is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)
Musashi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...
" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan-History:...
, stands Sunshine 60
Sunshine 60
is a 60-story, mixed-use skyscraper located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, adjoining the Sunshine City complex. At the time of its completion in 1978, the 239.7 m building was the tallest in Asia, a title it held until 1985 when it was surpassed by the 63 Building in Seoul...
, which was Tokyo's tallest building at the time of its construction. Adjacent to Sunshine City, on Meiji-Dori is the Toyota Amlux Building which houses the Toyota showroom. Otome Road
Otome Road
is a nickname for a street in Ikebukuro - a district of Tokyo - which is located to the west of the Sunshine 60 building near Ikebukuro Station. The name originated in the May 2004 issue of Puff magazine. The name is derived from a dense grouping of shops that specialize in "Otome-kei" ...
, a leading shopping area for otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui
Marui
is a Japanese retail company which operates a chain of department stores in Tokyo as well in other major Japanese cities. They are best known for their women's fashion and accessories, which are aimed at the 25–35 age range....
and Don Quijote
Don Quijote (store)
is a discount chain store that has over 160 locations throughout Japan as well as three stores in Hawaii. It carries a wide range of products, from basic groceries to electronics to clothing. The store is well known in Japan and is often referred to by its shortened name .-History:Don Quijote...
also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera
Bic Camera
is a consumer electronics retailer chain in Japan. Currently, it has 39 stores in Japan.It has a 15% stake in Best Denki and a wholly owned subsidiary, Sofmap.-Stores in Tokyo:*Yurakucho Honkan*Yurakucho Terebi-Kan*Ikebukuro Honten...
. There is a small pleasure district located in Nishi-Ikebukuro, similar to Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
's Kabukichō.
The old village of Ikebukuro stood to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known as Sugamo
Sugamo
is a neighborhood in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. It is well known for , a popular shopping street for the older generation . It lies at the crossing point of the JR Yamanote railway line, and national road route Route 17.-See also:* Sugamo Prison* Sugamo Station...
. In the Taishō
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
and Shōwa
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro. Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independent municipality
Municipalities of Japan
Japan has three levels of government: national, prefectural, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities. There are four types of municipalities in Japan: cities, towns, villages and special wards...
of Ikebukuro-mura
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
(池袋村).
The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
for Ikebukuro literally means pond bag. Outside the west exit of Ikebukuro station near an entrance to the Fukutoshin Line is a small plaque explaining three origins of the name Ikebukuro. The first is that in the northeastern part of the village there was a lake shaped like someone holding a bag. The second is that there was once a large number of lakes in the area of various sizes (thus implying a bag full of lakes). The third is that long ago a turtle came out of the lake carrying a bag on its back.
There is a small statue of an owl located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (いけふくろう像), meaning lake owl statue. It is a play on words from the alternative meaning of "fukuro" as "owl" (although owl is pronounced with a long final "oh", rather than a short "o" in the word "fukuro" for bag). The owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue of Hachikō
Hachiko
, known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō , was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.-Life:In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno,...
located outside of Shibuya Station
Shibuya Station
is a train station located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.4 million passengers on an average weekday in 2004, it is the fourth-busiest commuter rail station in Japan handling a large amount of commuter traffic between the center city and suburbs to the south and west.-JR East:*Saikyō Line /...
.
Education
Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Toshima Ward. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of EducationTokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
.
Crime and safety
The Kyokuto-kaiKyokuto-kai
The is a yakuza organization based in Tokyo, Japan. The Kyokuto-kai is a designated yakuza group with an estimated 1,200 active members.-History:The Kyokuto-kai was registered as a designated yakuza group under the Organized Crime Countermeasures Law in July 1993....
designated yakuza syndicate is headquartered in Ikebukuro.
In popular culture
Ikebukuro is the setting of the Japanese manga and TV drama Ikebukuro West Gate ParkIkebukuro West Gate Park
, usually referred to by its initials IWGP, is a series of urban mystery novels by Ira Ishida. It was adapted into a very successful TV series directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko, and then a manga, released by Digital Manga Publishing in English....
. It is also the setting of the Japanese light novel series, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, Durarara!!
Durarara!!
, often romanized as DRRR!! in Japan, is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, with illustrations by Suzuhito Yasuda, that has also been adapted in to a Japanese anime series. As of February 2011, nine volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko...
. "Ikebukuro" is also the name of a 16-minute long track from the Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
album, "The Shutov Assembly
The Shutov Assembly
The Shutov Assembly is an ambient album by British musician Brian Eno, released on November 10, 1992 on Warner.-Overview:The album is dedicated to Russian artist Sergei Shutov, and was created as an assembly of tracks for him, as he had mentioned to Eno the difficulty he had of getting Eno's music...
."