The north was two mornings of my twelve days alone in Tokyo. Each morning I picked a direction, took the metro out there, and walked.
Where I walked: Ikebukuro in Toshima; Otsuka and Minami-Otsuka; Sugamo; Oji and Asukayama in Kita.
Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is one of the big hubs of Tokyo, with its huge station, department stores and Sunshine City. I started the morning here, around Sunshine City.
Good to know: Sunshine City is also home to Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, Sunshine City Alpa, 2nd floor, three minutes from Higashi-Ikebukuro station. Every day, 10am to 8pm. It was closed for several months in 2026 and reopened on 24 August, with limits on how many people can go in at once.
Otsuka and Minami-Otsuka
I walked on from Ikebukuro to Otsuka, one stop away on the Yamanote line, and I loved it. Otsuka is also a stop on the Tokyo Sakura Tram, the last tram line in Tokyo. Before the war, it had department stores, cinemas and a geisha district. Today it is quiet and low: small shops, greengrocers, and people who have lived here all their lives.
Tenso shrine, three to five minutes from Otsuka station: a small torii at the top of stone steps, and a pair of ginkgo trees said to be six hundred years old.
Sugamo
Then Sugamo, which I loved too. Jizo-dori is nicknamed the grannies' Harajuku: a long, wide shopping street where older people come to shop, stroll and pray. You find clothes shops, the famous lucky red underwear, and shio daifuku, a sweet rice cake with red bean paste and a pinch of salt. On the 4th, 14th and 24th of each month, the street fills with stalls. Sugamo station (JR Yamanote line and Toei Mita line), or Koshinzuka on the tram, right in the middle of the street.
Oji and Asukayama, the hydrangeas at dawn
On 26 June, I was here before seven. Asuka no Komichi is a small path at the foot of Asukayama park, along the tracks of the JR Keihin-Tohoku line between Oji and Kami-Nakazato stations. In June, during the rainy season, it is lined with hydrangeas. From Oji station, the path starts right by the entrance to the park.
Tokyo north FAQ
Where to see hydrangeas in Tokyo in June?
Along Asuka no Komichi, the path by the railway between Oji and Kami-Nakazato stations, at the foot of Asukayama park.
What is Sugamo known for?
Jizo-dori, the grannies' Harajuku, a long shopping street for older people, with lucky red underwear and salted daifuku.
Is Otsuka worth a visit?
Yes. It is one stop from Ikebukuro, quiet and low, with the last tram line of Tokyo.