Ikebukuro in Tokyo's Toshima Ward is one of the three major metropolitan sub-centers on the Yamanote Line, along with Shinjuku and Shibuya. With Ikebukuro station at its center, this busy shopping and entertainment district is packed with department stores, electronics retail shops, specialty stores, and restaurants. Among the three major metropolitan sub-centers, Ikebukuro has a more relaxed atmosphere than Shibuya and Shinjuku. Still, on average, 2.71 million people use Ikebukuro station a day, making it the second busiest station in the world behind Shinjuku station. The town is also home to unique tourist attractions such as the "Otome (Maiden) Road," a street lined with anime and video game shops which attract the women otaku (nerds) from around the world, and for ramen fans, there are many competing ramen (noodle soup) shops.

East Side of Ikebukuro Station

The east side features department stores including Seibu Department Store and PARCO, etc., as well as electronics retail stores including Bic Camera and Yamada-Denki. Furthermore, it has plenty of good tourist spots including Sunshine City, Namja Town, the female-oriented otaku street "Otome Road," and Toyota's showroom called "Toyota Auto Salon Amlux Tokyo," etc. Sunshine 60 Dori, the street leading in the direction of Sunshine City, features movie theaters, video game centers, and restaurants, and is always busy with crowds of people.
Furthermore, on the north side, there are many Chinese-style establishments, primarily Chinese restaurants and food stores such as Ikebukuro Yokojo, etc., forming a mini Chinatown. In addition, there is an extensive entertainment district.

West Side of Ikebukuro Station

In addition to fashion buildings such as Tobu Department Store, Lumine, Marui, etc., the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space and Rikkyo University, the "Ikebukuroengeijyo" theater with a history of over 50 years, and the "Shin-bungeiza" theater, which shows a variety of new and old Japanese movies, etc. are located here, so it is a town strongly influenced by culture and the arts.
Furthermore, on Romance-dori, a street crowed with izakayas and other restaurants, there is the "Rosa Hall," an amusement building in which visitors can enjoy eating and drinking, movies, sports, and live performances, making it a central facility on this street.