Ikebukuro

The extension of the Yamanote Line in 1903 did much to further the development of Tokyo's most northerly shopping and pleasure center. Ikebukuro Railway Station is the center point for all transport. Here there is an underground shopping center (Ikebukuro Shopping Park), the Sunshine City skyscraper which with its 60 stories is one of the tallest buildings in Japan. It houses a hotel, an aquarium, a planetarium, etc. Nearby lie an estimated 150 "love hotels", 50 cabarets and theaters.