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Ikebukuro

and Owl Cafés

Ikebukuro

Arriving in Shibuya

Jan 7, 2017

The next morning, I headed for the JR Shibuya station and boarded a train bound for Ikebukuro.

A short train ride later, I arrived, and exited through the west exit.

I continued to walk north from the station, curving around to the east and reaching an overpass in front of the train lines.

Again, the scale of infrastructure—from the size of intersections to the verticality of multi-level roads—continues to leave me in awe.

Eventually, I arrived at one of the main strips in Ikebukuro, replete with a Tokyu Hands.

Perhaps it was the presence of a Sega arcade, but it felt really similar to Akihabara

I popped in to Doutor for a brief pit stop.

Doutor East Ikebukuro

東池袋1-13-6, 池袋ロクマルビル2F, Toshima
¥
Price
Coffee
Shop

Afterwards, I checked out the area for a while—much of the time scaling the impressively stocked Tokyu Hands.

Soon though, my appointment with the Owl café was looming. After a transfer in Shinjuku to get to Harajuku, I arrived.

Owl Cafe & Bar Owl Village

1-21-15 Jingumae Harajuku
¥
Price
Owl
Café

The café—as seemed standard for animal cafés—was split into the food and drink area, and the animal area. After a quick drink, the group made its way into the owl enclosure.

The handlers introduced us to each of the birds in turn.

In total there were about eight of them, ranging from a large 2kg owl called Bob to tiny little balls of fluff.

Once my time was up, I headed back down Takeshita street, which was considerably quieter.

After a quick sandwich from Starbucks, it was time to head back to the hotel.


Later that night, I ventured out to Goodbeer Facuets—a craft place in downtown Shibuya.

Goodbeer Faucets

松濤1-29-1 (クロスロードビル 2F), Shibuya
¥¥
Price
Craft Beer
Bar

A few drinks later, it was starting to approach dinner time.

Wandering through Tokyo, I made a beeline for a highly recommended Soba place.

Sobahiyamugi Sagatani

道玄坂2-25-7 (プラザ道玄坂ビル 1F) Shibuya
¥¥
Price
Soba
Restaurant

Like so many gems in Japan, Sagatani was very unassuming from the outside. Inside, it was cozy, with many local patrons dining.

One delicious bowl of buckwheat soba noodles

Full of Soba, it was time to head back to the hotel for the night.

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Shinjuku Views
January 9th
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Roppongi
January 11th
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