Ikebukuro is an interesting district in Toshima ward.
Misunderstood by people due to its past, similar to ’70s New York, what people hear of the past, think a location is the same in the present.
East Ikebukuro (Higashi-Ikebukuro) is where people go to shop and eat. And where anime fans and cosplayers tend to frequent. It’s also the location of the huge shopping complex, Sunshine City.
West Ikebukuro (Nishi-Ikebukuro), once feared due to a manga and the TBS drama (titled “West Ikebukuro Gate Park”) at one time, is where a lot of people go for banks, to find inexpensive hotels to rent and home of the private university, Rikkyo University (St. Paul’s University). Also, the location’s red light district (on “Romance-Dori” or Romance Street).
North Ikebukuro (Kita-Ikebukuro) is known for Tokyo’s Chinatown right off the north exit and South Ikebukuro (Minami-Ikebukuro) is an area where people go to find a calm area in the district and Ikebukuro’s oldest temple, Kishimojin.
And I used the word “interesting” because going to each area, despite being the same district, are very different from each other.
But I’m going to focus on West Ikebukuro in today’s post and this is part 1.
Right near where I stay is PASELA RESORTS.
It’s a huge building which you can often hear music blazing. One shouldn’t think of it as a resort but a place for karaoke, darts, where people celebrate private parties or wedding receptions.
In fact, it’s where one can find the restaurant Los Cabos, a Darts & Sports Bar. It’s a Mexican Bar that sells Tex-Mex dishes, Japanese style. In fact, it’s more of Japanese dishes but you can find a lot of alcohol at his bar. In fact, check out the menu for Los Cabos!
One of the things I often see at PASELA RESORTS is the KAMEN RIDER: THE DINER. An official restaurant in collaboration with PASELA RESORTS in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of “Kamen Rider”.
Similar to entertainment niched restaurants, you can expect small dishes but if you love “Kamen Rider”, it’s worth visiting for the atmosphere. Also, click here to check out the menu! But the place is also reserved for many parties, which separates itself from other entertainment-themed niche restaurants.
But the big attraction is Karaoke Pasela, where people can participate in top notch karaoke! In fact, the location won the 2018 Oricon Customer Satisfaction Survey in “Karaoke Box” Rankings!
Right across the street from PASELA RESORTS is the IKEBUKURO ROYAL HOTEL. I know a lot of people who stayed at this hotel for its very good solid online pricing but also it’s not far from the station.
Downstairs is where MORIVA COFFEE is located and I reviewed the location here and here.
Located nearby is the Sanuki Udon HANAMARU, one of Japan’s largest udon franchise chains.
Founded by Maeda Hideto who wanted to bring udon dishes nationwide (as there were no udon restaurant chains throughout Japan at the time) and launched the business in 2001. Also to serve Sanuki Udon to a large audience. As of April 2016, the number of chains have risen to 415 and serves over 4 million customers each month.
This restaurant is one of the cheapest locations for people to eat. If you are tired of eating at the combini and want to try ramen or tempura and get served quickly, Sanuki Udon HANAMARU is worth checking out!
Right across from PASELA RESORT is a fast-food chain known as Ringer Hut which specializes in Nagasaki dishes Champon (a noodle dish that is a regional dish in Nagasaki which consists of fried pork, seafood and vegetables with lard and soup made with chicken and pig bone) and Sara udon (also native to Nagasaki and consists of noodles, friend cabbage, bean sprouts and other vegetables including squid, shrimp, pork, etc.).
The location uses 100% domestic vegetables and 100% domestically produced wheat flour.
For those who just want beef, check out Saikatei.
A wagyu (Japanese cattle) restaurant that specializes in black cattle wagyu. In Japan, there are four official wagyu breeds: Japanese black, Japanese brown, Japanese poll and Japanese shorthorn. Japanese black comprises 90% of the cattle in Japan.
So, for those willing to pay more..Tajima black cattle is known as “Kobe beef” (high degree of marbeling and there are only a few thousand cows, so it’s rare and why it’s more expensive). And that goes the same with wagyu from Ohmi and Matsuzaka as well. But the wagyu sold at Saikatei is Kuroge Wagyu and that is the highest possible A5 beef ranking. Known for its texture, taste and aroma, it represents only 15% of beef produced in Japan, so it is also a bit rare.
With that being said, I spent around Y15,000-25,000 on Kobe Beef. The good news is that Kuroge Wagyu while expensive, it’s nowhere near the price of Kobe beef and you can get yakiniku dishes at Saikatei for Y3500 or less. Even their Luxury Course is only Y3900 (not including tax) and a more extreme course for Y5300.
You can check out the menu here!
