Sunshine City Ikebukuro with Kids
Last Updated on November 17, 2025 by Kay
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Having lived in Tokyo for seven years, I had visited Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City, a popular mall, regularly, both before and after my daughter was born. It’s even a place I took my daughter when we visited Tokyo after moving to Osaka.
So, for parents wondering whether Sunshine City in Ikebukuro is worth visiting with kids, my answer is a resounding “YES!”.
In this article, I’ll share kid-friendly spots that all parents should know when going to Sunshine City, including my personal favorites.
How to Get to Sunshine City
Sunshine City is located about a ten-minute walk from JR Ikebukuro Station. You can also easily walk there from Tokyo Metro stations such as Higashi Ikebukuro Station and Ikebukuro Station.
I think this ease of access is one reason why Sunshine City is a popular mall with families in Japan.
The Best Things to Do in Sunshine City with Kids
There is so much to do in Sunshine City that you can easily spend an entire day here! The following are my recommendations, all approved by my daughter (who was five years old when we last visited).
Sunshine 60 Observatory Tenbou Park
This is probably our favorite spot in Sunshine City. The observatory not only gives you a stunning view of Tokyo, but it also has a wonderful play area for kids (probably best for preschoolers and under).
When I asked my daughter to recall her time playing here, she said, “It was so fun and bouncy! The view was good!”
There’s a special play area here for babies, and books (in Japanese), too!
If you’re hungry, they have a cafe here as well that has children’s meals and baby food for sale, too.
This is probably the most younger-kid-friendly observatory I’ve come across in Japan thus far. The only problem is that if your child is like mine, they won’t want to be torn away from playing in order to take photos.
Here’s what the view from Sunshine 60 Observatory Tenbou Park looks like:
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo
As the name suggests, the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City is the largest in Japan! I recommended it to my friend’s brother, and he said it was the highlight of his trip.
As he went on a weekday, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was when my family visited on the weekend. There was a huge line when we arrived, and the staff said it would be a thirty-minute wait just to get inside.
So we decided to skip it this time, especially since we live in Japan and know there will be a next time.
However, my daughter was still able to take photos with Pokémon decorating the outside of the store, and since she’s been to the Pokémon Centers in Osaka, she wasn’t too disappointed that she couldn’t go inside this one.
She also really liked finding out how tall she was using this Pikachu height measurement chart!
Make sure not to miss the various Pokémon decor on the same floor!
Pikachu Sweets Cafe
If you want cute Pokémon-themed drinks and merch but can’t seem to snag a reservation for the Pokémon Cafe, then I highly recommend going to Pikachu Sweets. It’s a takeout cafe, so you don’t need reservations or have to wait for hours to get adorable Pokémon goods, like these straws with charms pictured below, and of course, drinks.
Keep in mind that you cannot eat or drink in the cafe. There are plenty of places to put your drink down to take photos, but after taking some shots, you gotta go!
The drinks here are pretty decent (don’t expect superior quality; this is all about aesthetic). I especially liked that you can choose the illustration for your latte or mocha when you order one.
If you get the Polteageist’s Aromatherapy drink, you get to hold the cup while the teapot Pokémon Polteageist pours the tea for you. It’s really cute!
The Pikachu waffle is subpar, so I don’t recommend getting it, but honestly, my daughter didn’t care. She happily ate it, and she was delighted with how cute everything was.
There’s also an adorable Pokémon-themed play area right in front of the cafe, so my husband and I enjoyed our drinks while watching our daughter play to her heart’s content.
KIDDY LAND
KIDDYLAND is a toy store filled with merchandise featuring popular characters like Kirby and Chiikawa. There’s also a Snoopy store right next to it!
My daughter adores KIDDY LAND, so I try to always let her browse for a bit whenever we see one and aren’t running short on time.
Donguri Kyowakoku Ghibli Store
As Ghibli fans, this is another store that my daughter and I can’t help but to go inside whenever we see one. (While my husband sighs and waits outside because they’re quite small.)
There are also cute photo spots here featuring Totoro and Kiki!
Sanrio Vivitix
This is yet another that’s a favorite of my daughter’s since she loves Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty and Cinnamoroll. The one in Ikebukuro has a cute photo spot outside the store, although I’m unsure whether it’s available year-round.
(Psst, there’s also a Sanrio Cafe nearby, which we haven’t checked out yet, but it’s on our list for next time!)
Sunshine Aquarium
Sunshine Aquarium is one of the first aquariums I took my daughter to when she was a baby, and it’s also where I took my (now departed) uncle and aunt when they visited Japan a decade ago.
It’s not large by any means, and it can be quite crowded, but it’s convenient and if your kids are like mine, they will enjoy it. My daughter especially likes the penguins, which you can see swimming above you in an overhead tank, as well as the outdoor area on the roof.
To save time, I recommend purchasing your tickets in advance.
NAMJA Town
NAMJA Town is like a little cat-themed amusement park, and as my daughter is obsessed with felines, this was the main reason we went to Sunshine City. It has a gyoza stadium where you can enjoy different kinds of (not that great) gyoza, ninja training experiences for kids, and a cat town (like a cat cafe but no drinks involved).
Although my daughter loved NAMJA Town, I’m not sure whether I would recommend it to tourists because many things are in Japanese only, and it’s hard to have an enjoyable time if you don’t understand what’s going on. It’s also expensive for what it is, especially since you have to pay a fee to enter, and then an additional fee for attractions.
So why is it on this list? Well, if your kid likes cats and wants to go to a cat cafe, NAMJA Town has a “cat town” called Nyanjya Town (ニャンジャタウン) that allows younger children (many cat cafes in Japan refuse kids who are younger than 6 years old).
Just try not to go in the afternoon because the cats are quite sleepy and won’t really interact with anyone (the staff told me they’re more energetic in the morning).
The cat town costs 1000 yen per hour and, as mentioned earlier, doesn’t come with drinks. (But that was perfectly fine for us because we were there for the cats.)
If you have older children (ages six and up), you might want to check out Cat Cafe Mocha, which is larger but costs twice as much.
Gashapon Department Store
This is a huge store filled with dozens of gashapon (capsule toy) machines and is the largest in the world. We spent about thirty minutes looking at everything, and that still wasn’t enough!
Sometimes it feels like a labyrinth, so make sure to keep your eyes on your kids if you come here, because I felt like my daughter could get easily lost. (Even I felt lost sometimes, which is why I didn’t venture too deep!)
Thomas Station
My daughter isn’t a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, but I’m including this here because I have friends whose kids adore this train series.
Thomas Station has a small Thomas-themed playground for young children, including a little Thomas train they can ride on!
However, I do find it pricey at 700 yen for adults (all day) and 700-800 yen for kids per 30 minutes.