©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 139 Iidabashi & Northwest Tokyo IIDABASHI | IKEBUKURO | TAKADANOBABA | KAGURAZAKA | KŌRAKUEN Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Passing under the giant 3 Relaxing in the splen- 5 Slurping some of the torii (gates) at the contro- dour of a classic Japanese best miso rāmen in Tokyo versial Yasukuni-jinja (p 141 ) garden at Koishikawa at Kururi (p 146 ). and viewing the fascinat- Kōrakuen (p 143 ). ing armaments at its war 4 Cheering on the museum. Yomiuri Giants baseball 2 Wandering the old-world team at Tokyo Dome alleys of Kagurazaka (p 142 ), (p 143 ). an old geisha quarter with enticing shops and bars. IKEBUKURO HIGASHI- KITA-KU IKEBUKURO NISHI- TOSHIMA-KU Kas e# 01kmNISHI- ug 00.5milesNIPPORI IKEBUKURO MINAMI- a-dōr IKEBUKURO i H M a k e 11 u i j s i MEJIRO - 1111 a d n 1111 - M ō d r 1111 ō SHIMO- e i jiro ri -d 11Shuto Koishikawa OCHIAI ōr i Botanical NEZU Garden Expw NISHI- BUNKYŌ-KU Hon Ochiai WASEDA y No 5 Central Kōen g Sh ō-dōr TAKADANOBABA in-M Chinzan- ejiro sō -dō HONGŌ ri i Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Toyamakōen Kōraku Garden) i r Wa TSUKUDOCHŌ 3# 4# ō seda-d Hon d ōri KAGURAZAKA gō- ub S Ōk o-dōri eiji- oto dōr 2# bori-dōri M i Ō KANDA- kubo-dōri WAKAMIYA FUJIMI AWAJICHŌ KITA- ICHIGAYA- SHINJUKU CHIYODA-KU KABUKI- TAMACHI5# Ōm CHŌ ni-dōri e- t uku ka a # as JIMBŌCHŌ id ō o 1 Y Kō SHINJUKU-KU M i 0 r 0 S SHINJUKU- kuni-dōri ri Kitanomaru-kōen su ō 0en-dōri hi Ya bo (Kitanomaru Park) nj NICHŌME to d UCHI- u - ku So i -d r KANDA aidō ōri ICHIBANCHŌ o -k b hū SHINJUKU Shin i ōs juku h Fukiage K Shinjuku-gyoen -dō c Imperial ŌTEMACHI YOYOGI r U (Shinjuku Park) i KŌJIMACHI Gardens For more detail of this area, see Map p 299 A 140 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore Iidabashi & Northwest Tokyo In spring, the Sotobori Moat From gardens to spas, the mixed sights in this large west of Iidabashi Station swathe of Tokyo are scattered among smaller districts. and the groves in Yasukuni- Start at Kudanshita and walk through the grand torii of jinja explode with cherry Yasukuni-jinja shrine, a controversial tribute to Japan’s blossoms. These are prime war dead. The history museum on the grounds is well spots for hanami (blossom worth an hour or two, especially for its vintage Mitsubi- viewing), afternoon and shi Zero fi ghter planes and other armaments. evening picnic parties where Next, make your way over the old outer moat for revellers drink until they’re lunch in the Iidabashi and Kagurazaka area; Kururi is pinker than the petals. an excellent rāmen shop not too far away or you could try Canal Café on the moat itself. Kagurazaka makes for some atmospheric shopping and strolling, though the Best Places Koishikawa Kōrakuen gardens to the east are a better 5to Eat place to stretch your legs. You can relax at the grand IIDABASHI & NORTHWEST TOKYO La Qua spa near Tokyo Dome, or try to catch a baseball Kururi (p 146 ) game if the Yomiuri Giants are playing. Kado (p 147 ) From here, the subway can take you to the farther- Mucha-an (p 148 ) fl ung sights in this chapter, such as the excellent Namco Namjatown Chinzan-sō and Rikugi-en gardens, the Takadanobaba (p 143 ) student area with its myriad ethnic restaurants, or Ike- For reviews, see p 146 bukuro’s Namjatown, a theme park devoted in part to A Chinese dumplings and ice cream. Don’t bother count- ing those calories. Best Places 6to Drink Local Life Beer Bar Bitter (p 148 ) Canal Café (p 147 ) Drinking Beer Bar Bitter (p 148 ) is one of many Jazz Spot Intro (p 148 ) excellent watering holes off Kagurazaka hill where locals unwind with fi ne foreign brews. For reviews, see p 148 A Soaking La Qua (p149 ) is a deluxe spa favoured by tired shoppers and others from all over Tokyo. Best Eating Takadanobaba (p 148 ), near Waseda 1Gardens University, is a teeming student zone with new izakaya (Japanese version of a pub/eatery) and yakitori Koishikawa Kōrakuen (chicken, meats or vegetables, cooked on skewers) joints (p 143 ) opening all the time. Rikugi-en (p 146 ) Chinzan-sō (p 146 ) For reviews, see p 142 A Getting There & Away Train The JR Sōbu Line stops at Iidabashi (rapid- service JR Chūō Line trains, which use the same track, skip it but stop at Suidōbashi). The Yamanote and other JR lines stops at Ikebukuro. Subway Useful stations include Iidabashi (Nanboku, Yū rakuchō, Tōzai and Ōedo lines), Kōrakuen (Nanboku and Marunouchi lines), Kagurazaka (Tōzai Line) and Kudanshita (Hanzōmon, Tōzai and Shinjuku lines). The Marunouchi, Yūrakuchō and Fukutoshin lines stop at Ikebukuro Station..