As soon as we left the hotel today we knew exactly where we wanted to go: Ikebukuro ! –for a number of reasons. But mostly to go to the Pokemon Center. But first – breakfast!

We planned out an itinerary for the day for everything except what we were going to eat (whoops) so we opted for the food court “7&8 Dinner” we had found on our first day here above Shinjuku Station. I’m pretty sure nothing like this exists in Toronto.. maybe the closest thing is Marche?? Basically, the two floors house a bunch of mini restaurants that specialize in very different things. There’s a paella place, a diner-style restaurant with burgers and shakes, a Hawaiian restaurant (where we ate on day 2 if you recall!), a crepe place, Korean, Chinese, American style breakfast, etc. We decided on a place that specializes in Ochazuke which is basically a bowl of rice and toppings such as fish, veggies, seaweed, sauce that you pour Japanese green tea onto and then eat. It’s probably my most favourite dish that we have had so far.

We then made our way to Ikebukuro Station where we first made a pit stop at a cat cafe called Cat Cafe Nekorobi ねころび (this time one with way better reviews). This one was more like a room of cats where you can sit, pet, play with and watch cats than a cafe, although there is a vending machine with ‘free’ teas and coffees (the charge was 1100 yen per hour per person). It was a bit awkward at first since you really just wanna jump the cats immediately and start petting them and hugging them (or maybe it’s just me), but people were already doing that so we just had to sit in our own corner and wait patiently. The cafe only had about 4-5 other people there which was a good number for the amount of cats. The staff handed us some cat treats and you could tell the cats knew exactly what was happening because they immediately ran to the first person thy saw to receive treats. Overall, the experience was pretty great but I think it’s something that I only need to do once or twice a year. If it was puppies it would be a whole other story for me but cats are too aloof for me to have the patience and money to wait for them to come to me for cuddles dammit. It’s like, I paid money to pet you cat, please comply. But they don’t really…

The cat cafe was conveniently located a stoplight away from our next stop, Sunshine City which is a building that consists of a huge mall, business buildings, a museum, amusement parks, and an aquarium. ALSO HOME OF THE MEGA TOKYO POKEMON CENTER! Yeah, you guessed our next move – we immediately made a beeline through the mall to the Pokemon Center and proceeded to go nuts. They had Pokemon-everything … plushies, figurines, mugs and dishware, towels, stationary, keychains, home goods, etc. I got a bunch of gifts for friends and also gifts for myself which include a Meowstic plush and other things…

Next, we went to Namco Namjatown which only took a quick 30 second flight up the escalators from Pokemon Center. This place is a full amusement park in the middle of a mall. If I was a Japanese child, I would have probably exploded of happiness. The only issue was that there was barely any English signage and the workers there barely spoke any English at all which was disappointing but understandable. Namjatown isn’t exactly located in the center of a mainstream tourist area. It is broken down into two main areas, the first is a food area that literally serves just dumplings and dessert. The second area is where most of the rides are including a haunted house and a mini theatre. If you know me well, you will know where I headed first. We immediately purchased 3 boxes of dumplings (I was very hungry by this time), a cat shaped crepe, and a melon soda float.. All of which were amazingly delicious. The food area is themed like an old/traditional Japanese town and is so full of whimsy. Ever feel the need to be like one of those anime characters stuffing their faces with dumplings and desserts? this is the place for you. Also if you love cats, this place is filled with adorable cat motifs, namely like the ones from Monster Hunter. The second area was filled with rides and the main attraction was a haunted house where you are given an electronic reader that can find ghosts and … not sure what you’re supposed to do beyond that because we couldn’t understand it 😦 this part was the most disappointing… we were able to walk around the area and revel in the cuteness and the whimsy but could not participate due to the language barrier. For 500 yen though, I am happy with the experience. And the dumplings.

Next, we headed up the stairs to J-World which is basically Namjatown but instead of cats, it has themes from the animes Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and One Piece. We were about to go in but realized it’s a sister to Namjatown, except a lot more expensive, and without the proper Japanese language proficiency, we understood that it was probably not going to be the most fun experience. 😦 If you really want to visit these places, I definitely suggest at least bringing a friend who is fluent in Japanese with you if you are not yourself.

Next, we walked around the mall in Sunshine City where I finally found clothes that are not only practical and realistic to wear in real life (unlike the crazy fashions in Shibuya 109), but for really good prices! This was a relief because I actually underpacked clothes thinking I’d go crazy shopping but was super disappointed with everything I had found thus far.The mainstream style here is nothing like what it’s like in North America. Women tend to wear clothing that is very oversized for them and in very monotone colours. I also bought a pair of boots! Here, being a size 8 in shoes, I am a size “L” for large or 25 in Japanese sizes. For clothing, I’m a medium but usually a large. I thought when I heard about these things, it was an overexaggeration but turns out it’s true… Good to know for next time to bring a bit more! Unfortunately after shopping for an hour, we were running out of time and I only saw a few stores. We both agreed that we need to come back to Ikebukuro before we leave, especially to see the aquarium and museum that we missed. As my good friend MC suggested, the aquarium could be a great idea for a rainy day! We will definitely do this.