Nesnad / CC BY 4.0Where to stay in Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is a major northern hub that now rivals Akihabara for Japanese subcultures: Otome Road is given over to comics and games aimed at women, and Animate's flagship store stands near the station's east exit. It also holds several large cinema complexes, among them the one with the largest seating capacity in Tokyo and the largest screen in Japan. The official guide puts it 24 minutes from Tokyo Station on the Yamanote line, or 17 on the Marunouchi line.
Price level · Budget
Area scorecard
Scored 0–10 by Where Stay Guide. No overall total: every traveller weights these differently.
- Sightseeing
- 5.6
- Walkability
- 8.0
- Transport
- 9.0
- Food
- 8.0
- Nightlife
- 7.6
- Quietness
- 4.8
- Families
- 6.6
- Value
- 8.4
- Airport / station
- 8.0
- First trip
- 6.6
Best for
- Lower room rates in a well-connected place
- Anime, manga and games
- Cinema
- Longer stays
- Travellers who have seen the centre already
Choose elsewhere if
- This is your first trip and you want the sights nearby
- You want a quiet street
- You want the classic Tokyo postcard
- You dislike large station complexes
Our picks in Ikebukuro
Best value for a full hotel
Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro
A proper full-service hotel rather than a room, on a major line 24 minutes from Tokyo Station, at a rate the central districts do not offer.
Best on a small budget
Kimi Ryokan
The cheapest of our Tokyo picks and still a tatami room with shared bathrooms rather than a bunk, north-west of Ikebukuro Station.