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Kichijoji

Kichijoji is on the east side of Tokyo and is a popular hang out place both during the day and at night.

This is a university town so it's got an active community of students who reside here as well as the more regular suburban population.

You'll find Studio Ghibli here, Inokashira park, some great restaurants, as well as an active nightlife scene.

Inokashira Park

A favorite place in this area for visitors and locals alike is Inokashira Park.

In springtime the trees in the park attract many Japanese cherry blossom viewers. People lay out their picnic mats and spend an afternoon and evening with petals drifing down as they laugh, chat, and generally shoot the breeze.

The Japan Autumn season is round two for the colors of nature. Take a stroll through the reds, golds, and browns of Fall.

The park has a lovely lake that you can walk round or, if you fancy it, hire a boat and take to the water.

To get here follow the Park exit signs from the station.

Shopping, Eating, And Drinking

If you take the north exit from the station you will come out in the best shopping area with a whole range of restaurants and bars dotted around. Just take you time and see what catches your eye.

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Studio Ghibli Anime Museum

This is also the location of the famed Studio Ghibli anime museum.

If you're a fan of this genre then Studio Ghibli should be on your things to do in Tokyo list if you can possibly arrange it.

Unlike other Tokyo museums, Studio Ghibli has to be pre-booked. If you're traveling here on vacation that means you're probably going to need a travel agent to do that for you.

Want to book a pre-arranged Studio Ghibli tour? See our Studio Ghibli tour page and reserve your place now.

See our Studio Ghibli page for more information and to find out more about the museum itself.

Make sure you check out the cat bus exhibit!

Getting There!

To get to Kichijoji you can take either the JR Sobu or JR Chuo lines from Tokyo or Shinjuku stations on the Yamanote line map. Just make sure the train you're getting on stops at Kichijoji as some of the faster trains go straight through.

If you're coming from Shibuya then the Inokashira line is the easiest route as your destination is the final stop. This is the line we prefer to use. From there it's just a matter of having a good map and following the signs.