Located in the entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is Ikebukuro.
While there are so many things to discuss about Ikebukuro, today’s post I will talk about the owls of Ikebukuro.
You can find an owl in the center of the city, you can find these bush owls near the West Gate and more owls near the main theater. But what is the significance of the owls and Ikebukuro?
When one sees the kanji for Ikebukuro, the translation is “Pond Bag”. Reason is because the area of Ikebukuro used to have multiple lakes. And because owls are called “fukuro” and the area had pond owls, the city started using the pond owls as an unofficial mascot around the city. And so there is a statue known as Ikefukuro near the East Exit and people look at it as a meeting place.
