Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro (??), a part of Toshima ward, is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. It is the location of the Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station and several extremely large department stores.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the center of Ikebukuro is the station. The station is shared by Japan Railways, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tojo Main Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the Yamanote area of western Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station is the busiest subway station in Japan and the second busiest railway station overall, second only to Shinjuku Station. Approximately one million people pass through the station each day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Around the station are the Seibu and T?bu department stores. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison stands Sunshine 60, formerly Tokyo's tallest building when it was built. Marui and Mitsukoshi also have department stores in the area. The prinicpal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 Taish? and Sh?wa periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The kanji for Ikebukuro mean "Pond-sack" although the origin of this name is somewhat unclear.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Toshima: Toshima is the name of some places in of Japan....

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....

Ikebukuro station: Ikebukuro Station (池袋駅 Ikebukuro-eki) is Tokyo's second-busiest train station, after Shinjuku Station. It is located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima Ward, and primarily serves commuters from Saitama and other residential areas northwest of the city center....