Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Somehow Ikebukuro gave me a more homely feel than Shinjuku or Harajuku.

The alley ways are filled with restaurants and yakitori bars, you can even find something to eat at 1 in the morning. We even spotted a Takoyaki van at about 11pm at night *yum*

On the East side, seemed a little more commercialised. Lots of shops (Loft, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Sunshine city, tokyu hands), there's a cinema theatre. Plus one of the few burger kings in Japan is located here.

The west side comes alive around evening time, when the Karaoke opens, pachinko come alive with business men, loads of yakitori bars and lots & lots of eateries.

Dont forget to head to the food department of Tobu and Seibu. Lots of yummy food and dessert awaits you. I almost bought something every night while i was in Tokyo.

Sunshine City is a fantastic area with a ton of stores! Almost everything you need is clustered in a couple of streets. Wander around and see the major department stores (like Seibu - its huge!) or small stores.

We went there for the Toys R Us to pick up some Japanese transformers :-)

Located at Ikebukuro, downtown Tokyo, the Sunshine 60 Building is 60 storey tall and the 2nd highest after the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.

It has offices, shops, hotel, aquarium, museum, planetarium and the obervation deck which gives the best panoromic view of Tokyo in all directions.

On a clear day, Mt. Fuji is visible. As it is located in a different part of town, it is still worth going to Sunshine 60 even if you have been to Tokyo Tower.

Ikebukoro is a business center with a train station. Great place for lunch. At night, there are the usual restaurants, drinking holes and well-dressed touts at intersection giving out promotions for you to part with your money.