Kichijoji is a very interesting neighborhood in Tokyo which is usually ignored in many tourist guides. Manga readers maybe will recognize the streets of the neighborhood because they are usually seen in GTO and I”s among others. It is a neighborhood with a lot of “cultural movement”, it’s full of bars and music studios where bands play when they are starting out. Around the north exit of the station there are plenty of malls and smalls shops, it’s the shopping area. The northwest area is dedicated to small interior shops and the northeast area is more lively during nights: plenty of bars and love hotels.
However what I enjoy the most in Kichijoji is the south part where you can find the Ghibli Museum and Inokashira park.
My suggestions on what to do in a day in Kichijoji.
– Visit the Ghibli Museum in the morning
– Eat in a restaurant around Inokashira park.
– Go for a stroll in Inokashira park.
– Cross to the north of the station and walk around the shopping streets, eat a snack in the afternoon or even stay until late to eat dinner.
How to get there: Chuo line from Shinjuku (it’s only 10 minutes)
4 replies on “Kichijoji”
The Ghibli museum would be awesome to visit. That little girl walking all by herself looks super legit in the 11th photo down, haha.
Doesn’t Ghibli still require reservations in advance? I think you can get them at Lawsons convenience stores.
Ive been reading your blog for ages, and now you post about a place thats just near my office!!
I lived in Kichijoji from 1949-1951. Our house was directly across the street from the train station and I used to take that train into Tokyo to shop at the Ginza. I used to collect pollywogs in from the pond/lake at the park. What a change. Would love to find some older pictures.