Nice Station in Tokyo
Nice Station in Tokyo;
Shakuji Koen, Kichijoji....Just Less Popular
Since I've lived near Ikebukuro now - for the past 2.5 years,
I basically know most of the train lines heading into at out of this large northern
Tokyo Station.
At first glance Ikebukuro doesn't strike someone as a glamourous place to live..
I mean - it doesn't hit you in the way Ebisu or Odaiba might, but if you take
the to time to spend in and around this part of Tokyo - specifically on the Seibu or Tobu Tojo lines you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised
Today I'll talk about one of my favorite places on the Seibu line,
It's called "Sha-Ku-Ji-Koen"...its green, its not crowded and it has a GREAT,
relatiively large (for Tokyo) forest, pond and park. Shakuji is just one express stop away from Ikebukuro.
If you head out from South exit of the train station - and keep walking straight,
just follow any of the roads DOWNHILL and you'll end up at the pond/small lake.
This is one of the most peaceful places thats actually INSIDE of Tokyo.
(Shinjuku Gyoen, Komazawa Park are also very peaceful).
The first you'll notice are the mansions surrounding the park, its a VERY desirable place to live. There's also some very nice French restaurant - one called
"The Onion" or "L'Onion" - my advice is this...head on up to the second floor,
grab a table and a coffee - the view is incredible for what you CAN'T see.
You can't see any of the surrounding buildings, you can't see any roads - you can ONLY see the park, the lake and large surrounding trees.
Heading furthor into the park you'll discover a lot of people painting, jogging and a half dozen old men getting really drunk - pretending to be "fishing". Even if your Japanese is beginner at best, stop to have a chat...their bored and will talk your ear off.
The best thing about this place is that it hasn't been over populated yet,
I guess its because the park is slightly smaller than kichijoji is. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE kichijoji, but I go there to have a good time...I go to shakuji to relax.
Other than the park there are several French restaurants in the area, a driving range and hut along the lake to drink beer and have some "oden" - lovely Japanese broth soups.
Go there and you won't be let down, its spacious and very few people know if.
You'll probably not run into other foreigners and can take your time to discover a slightly "upscale" once farming community in the middle of nerima-ku.
