Through redevelopment, Ikebukuro is transforming into an “International Art & Culture City.” At the east exit of Ikebukuro Station stands Hareza Ikebukuro, home to a multi-purpose hall and a movie theater, while the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre rises at the west exit. These buildings turn the area around the station into a hub of arts and culture.
Zoshigaya, meanwhile, is a green, leafy neighborhood centered on the sprawling Zoshigaya Cemetery. The list of notable figures resting here reads like a survey of modern Japanese literary history, including names such as Natsume Soseki, Takehisa Yumeji, Lafcadio Hearn, and Nagai Kafu. The approach to Zoshigaya Kishimojin, lined with zelkova trees, is dotted with ancient trees that speak to its long history.
It’s also a pleasure to visit the Western-style buildings standing to the east and west, such as the Former Zoshigaya Missionary House, with its white walls set off by green window frames, and Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
【The Walking Route】
Start: Gokokuji Station is 4 minutes and 180 yen from Ikebukuro Station, or 5 minutes and 180 yen from Iidabashi Station, via the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line.
Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line Gokokuji Station → (immediate) → Gokokuji → (21 min / 1.4km) → Former Zoshigaya Missionary House → (2 min / 0.2km) → Zoshigaya Cemetery → (20 min / 1.4km) → Zoshigaya Information Center → (2 min / 0.2km) → Zoshigaya Kishimojindo → (6 min / 0.4km) → Kosho Oraiza → (14 min / 0.9km) → Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan → (4 min / 0.3km) → Toshima City Museum of Local History → (1 min / 0.1km) → Ikebukuro Disaster Prevention Center → (8 min / 0.6km) → Ikebukuro Station (JR / Subway / Private Railways)
Goal: From Ikebukuro Station, it’s 9 minutes and 200 yen to Shinjuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line, or 16 minutes and 210 yen to Tokyo Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.
This route: approx. 5.5km / approx. 1 hour 20 minutes / approx. 7,000 steps
●Gokokuji: A Head Temple Still Conveying the Air of Edo
Founded in 1681 at the request of Keishoin, mother of the 5th Tokugawa shogun Tsunayoshi. The Kannondo Hall, built in the Genroku era, and the Gekkoden, which preserves the shinden-zukuri style of the main hall, are both Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The principal image, the Nyoirin Kannon, watches over the people.
Shinreizan Shicchi-in Gokokuji [Gokokuji / Temple]
Address: 5-40-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 10:00–16:00 (closed 12:00–13:00)
Closed: None
Access: Immediately outside Gokokuji Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
●Former Zoshigaya Missionary House: The Ward’s Oldest Modern Wooden Western-Style Building
Built in 1907 as the home of American missionary John Moody McCaleb, who lived here for 34 years until his return to the United States. The house retains the character of a late 19th-century American suburban residence.
Former Zoshigaya Missionary House [Ikebukuro / Facility]
Address: 1-25-5 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 9:00–16:30
Closed: Mondays (following weekday if a holiday)
Access: 7-minute walk from Toden Zoshigaya Station on the Toden Arakawa Line
●Zoshigaya Cemetery: Home to a Great Pine Tree from the Falconry Era
During the Edo period, this land served as a medicinal herb garden for the shogunate family, as well as a falconry lodge and hawk-keeping grounds. Opened in 1874, it is the resting place of many notable figures, including Nagai Kafu, Lafcadio Hearn, and Natsume Soseki (pictured).
Zoshigaya Cemetery [Ikebukuro / Historic Site]
Address: 4-25-1 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Open access
Access: 5-minute walk from Toden Zoshigaya Station on the Toden Arakawa Line
●Zoshigaya Information Center: A Hub for Local Information
The first floor introduces local tourist information and recommended spots, along with local folk crafts and Zoshigaya-related goods for sale, while the second floor houses a gallery exhibiting works related to Zoshigaya and Toshima Ward.
Zoshigaya Information Center [Ikebukuro / Facility]
Address: 3-19-5 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / Hours: 10:30–16:30 / Closed: Thursdays (open if a holiday) / Access: 2-minute walk from Zoshigaya Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line
●Zoshigaya Kishimojindo: Worshipped as the Deity of Safe Childbirth and Child-Rearing
The principal image is a statue of Kishimojin unearthed in 1561 by Yamamura Tan’emon, a local samurai. The existing Kishimojindo, built in 1664, is the oldest building in Toshima Ward and a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan.
*Note: the character “鬼” (oni) in “Zoshigaya Kishimojindo” is traditionally written without the small dot on its first stroke.
Zoshigaya Kishimojindo [Ikebukuro, Waseda, Takadanobaba, Mejiro / Temple]
Address: 3-15-20 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Open access (advance reservation required to view inside the hall)
Access: 15-minute walk from Mejiro Station on the JR Yamanote Line
●Kosho Oraiza: A Bookstore Strong in Literature and Culture
Kohon Daigaku, a used bookstore once located in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, relocated to its current site in 2004. Its lineup, shaped by the individual tastes of each staff member, is especially strong in literature, art, and film, and the “Meigaza Techo” booklet compiled by staff has quite a following.
Kosho Oraiza [Ikebukuro / Bookstore]
Address: 3-8-1 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Hours: From around 13:00–20:00
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays
Access: Ikebukuro Station (JR / private railways/subway), or 7-minute walk from Zoshigaya Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line
●Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan: Symbolic Windows Look Out Over the Front Garden
A school founded by journalist and educator couple Hani Motoko and Yoshikazu as a place for their ideal education. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1921, the building is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan [Ikebukuro / Historic Site]
Address: 2-31-3 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / Hours: 10:00–15:30 (evening hours on the 3rd Friday only, 18:00–20:30) / Closed: Mondays and irregular days (please confirm in advance) / Access: 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station (JR / private railways/subway)
●Toshima City Museum of Local History: Learn About the History of Toshima Ward
An easy-to-follow exhibition of Toshima Ward’s history from ancient times to the present day, using archaeological materials, maps, and photographs. Don’t miss the diorama displays of Nagasaki Atelier Village, home to painters and sculptors in the 1930s, and the postwar black market of Ikebukuro.
Toshima City Museum of Local History [Ikebukuro / Museum]
Address: 2-37-4 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Toshima Industry Promotion Plaza 7F
Hours: 9:00–16:30
Closed: Mondays (following weekday if a holiday) and exhibition-change periods
Access: 6-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station (JR / private railways/subway)
●Ikebukuro Disaster Prevention Center: Learn How to Prepare for the Worst
A hands-on facility on the 4th and 5th floors of the Ikebukuro Fire Station. Visitors are taken on guided tours by instructors and get to experience simulations of earthquakes, smoke, firefighting, and first aid to learn about disaster preparedness.
Ikebukuro Disaster Prevention Center [Ikebukuro / Museum]
Address: 2-37-8 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / Hours: 9:00–17:00 (advance reservation required via the official website) / Closed: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, plus the day after the 3rd Tuesday (following weekday if a holiday) / Access: 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station (JR / private railways/subway)
[Zoshigaya & Ikebukuro Dining]Kiazuma Coffee: Coffee Brewed with a Flannel Drip
Enjoy coffee roasted in-house, with only the amount needed roasted in small batches for a consistently fresh taste. Be sure to try the blend coffee and milk chiffon set for 950 yen.
Kiazuma Coffee [Ikebukuro / Coffee]
Address: 3-19-5 Zoshigaya, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / Hours: 10:30–18:30 / Closed: Wednesdays (following day if a holiday) / Access: Immediately outside Zoshigaya Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line
[Zoshigaya & Ikebukuro Dining]RACINES FARM TO PARK: An Elegant Cafe Overlooking a Lawn
A cafe inside Minami-Ikebukuro Park. Popular dishes include the morning plate and the porchetta sandwich (890 yen), generously filled with roasted skin-on pork belly. In the evening, enjoy grilled and French dishes paired with wine.
RACINES FARM TO PARK [Ikebukuro / Cafe]
Address: 2-21-1 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo / Hours: 8:00–21:00 (from 9:00 on Sat, Sun, and holidays) / Closed: None / Access: 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station (JR / private railways/subway)
[Neighborhood Exploration] Meet the Adorable Mascot “Ike-chan”! IKEBUS, the Convenient Bus Circling Ikebukuro
IKEBUS is a “community exchange bus” connecting Ikebukuro’s parks and major spots. Its eye-catching vivid red paint job and five wheels on each side were designed by Eiji Mitooka, the designer behind numerous railway vehicles such as JR Kyushu’s shinkansen and the limited express train “Nanatsuboshi in Kyushu.” The interior is equally lavish, packed with Japanese craftsmanship, from wood-paneled flooring to seats incorporating traditional Japanese patterns.
The ride is smooth, and the rear of the vehicle is fitted with a wheelchair-friendly electric lift. With a top speed of just 19km/h, it travels at a leisurely pace, so you can take your time enjoying the scenery outside the window.
There are two routes: Route A starts from Ikebukuro Station’s east exit and loops around Sunshine City and Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, while Route B starts from the west exit and loops toward Hareza Ikebukuro. Both routes cost 200 yen per ride, or 500 yen for a one-day pass. Each route runs one to two times per hour between 9:30 am and 6:30 pm.
TEL: 03-5957-1060 (WILLER EXPRESS Ikebukuro Office)
Reporting, text, and photography: Ad Green
