Visiting Kichijoji

Next to Nishi-Ogikubo is a larger area that is one of my favorite places to visit, Kichijoji. It's serviced by a number of train lines including the Chuo line through Shinjuku and the Keio Inoshakira line through Shibuya. I often combine Kichijoji and Nishi-Ogikubo in a day trip. During my last visit, I went back to the area several times and I'd happily stay there on a future visit.

Inoshakira Park
When you arrive at the station, there are several exits. I usually begin with the Park exit and head to Inoshakira Park, which is roughly five blocks south of the station. No matter what time of year you arrive, the park is bustling with life. People are out doing exercises, walking around the lake, riding their bikes or walking their stroller-pushed dogs. Late-autumn is particularly gorgeous as the leaves turn colors and gently loft through the air around you.

The park is home to a small pond with walking paths and trails encircling in. You can hire paddle boats and swans to enjoy it on the water or simple meander on foot. There is also a small shrine to Benzaiten in the park. Wikipedia tells me she is goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge." Compared to the larger tourist shrines in Tokyo, this one is quite small and there's no English explanations on things; but the park makes a lovely backdrop, so I always stop by.

I've not been, but if the Ghibli Museum for animation is also by the park and a popular tourist stop. It is advised you prebook your tickets with a local Japanese tour bureau before traveling.

The park is also home to the Inoshakira Zoo which is housed in two areas of the park. I went to the smaller aquatic area near the pond a few years ago. It was ok to visit, but nothing notable stands out. This time, I went to the main zoo which was bursting with school groups. The zoo is good for watching young Japanese children and their nannies pushing massive prams that house four to six kids each. The people-watching is much better than the actual zoo. I must admit that I found the zoo exceptionally disappointing. I regularly visit zoos when I travel. This one felt very dated and the animal enclosures did not feel comfortable to me. I left the zoo feeling quite low.

Shopping in Kichijoji
Not to worry though, the shopping in Kichijoji instantly picked me up. Kichijoji is home to both small specialty shops and department stores. You can get almost everything you need in this one small area. There are two major malls attached to the station and several more closeby. The Atre and Kirarina malls next to the station are both worth visiting. I could easily spend an entire week in Kichijoji and not be bored.

I regularly go to Smith Delfonics on the second floor of the Atre mall. This office and speciality goods store is where I've previously bought my camera strap, a Dymo and Dymo tape, washi tape, pencil cases, stationery and more. They have everything from Hermann Miller desk supplies to rubber stamps. They have shops throughout Tokyo, if you aren't going to Kichijoji. It's a small store with a well-curated collection of goods. You'll find several nice boutiques, on the second floor of Atre nearby. So wander about with your eyes open!

I also stop in Yuzawaya while in Kichijoji which is currently on the eighth and ninth floors of the Kirarina mall. Yuzawaya is a big box craft store, like Joann's or Spotlight, and there are dozens of them around Tokyo usually well marked with the knitting sheep logo. The main store in in Kamata area. I don't seek out every Yuzawaya shop to visit, but will drop by if I am near one. Like Joann's or  Spotlight, stock availability varies by store and you may find old gems tucked away on shelves of the less frequented stores. Liberty is widely available in Japan, most Yuzawayas have reasonable stock levels and multiple substrates. They are also a good source of Yuwa and Daiwabo. Note: the Kichijoji Yuzawaya has moved at least three times since I began visiting Tokyo a few years ago. Check the company brochure page for current store locations.

Another place I stop often is Wired Cafe which is another chain, not exclusive to Kichijoji. I should be embarrassed to admit that I ate at different Wired restaurants six times in six days on this trip, but they make one of my favorite meals in the whole world. For around $10, you can get OnTama. Their version is a fresh smashed tuna (raw, not like Western canned tuna) served on rice with avocado, peppers, tobiko roe, rocket salad, sesame, a poached egg and a Japanese brown sauce. I'm salivating just thinking about it. They also serve old-fashion cola-nut flavor soda which I like and a green melon flavor that Craig gets when he visits.

You could stay in the train station and shop a full day in Kichijoji. When you do leave though, you'll find the Sun Road covered shopping arcade and a six or seven story Loft (homewares and stationery shop) with a Muji (neutral clothes and homewares) and Village Vanguard (kitschy, playful, superhero, Americana) on the top floors. There's also Bookoff  for used books and Dog Wiz, in case you need a 2000 dollar pocket dog or a cute stroller to push it in.

There are other large malls around Kichijoji as well including Marui and PARCO. It gets more exciting though when you start to go to the small stores including a whole street of tiny shops that you really need to just wander in and out of it. They have speciality homewares, occupation era vintage goods and more.

If you love yarn or just want to see a beautiful display of knitted or crocheted projects, definitely stop in Avril about ten minutes from the station. I'm told Cottonfield discontinued fabric, but I didn't get a chance to pop by this trip to look. They do carry buttons and beads though, if that's your crafty thing. If you are willing to walk a bit further and like small feedsack pieces, I definitely recommend A-materials. Again, I didn't make it this trip, but I've gone a few times and loved it each visit.

Shops move around quite a bit, so the map is only the roughest of guides to places I visit in Kichijoji. The pin for small shops includes the street connecting it up to Avril and the side streets around it. Wander that area and enjoy it!  Note: Map may not accurate. This is a very rough guide. I encourage you to simply explore and take it all in rather than seek out specific shops. Usually the best parts of traveling happen when you relax and let things happen around you.
With that, I'm nearly done with my Tokyo vacation round up. I do have some books that I bought which I'll show you soon. The trip was an amazing experience, as it always is, and I'm already dreaming of booking flights and heading back.


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Do you have a favorite place to visit in Tokyo? Or have you found a website with handy Tokyo links for my blog visitors?  Please do share them in the comments. The more we help each other out, the better our travels will be!