Sugamo
Cost
free
Attractions > Tokyo > Area > Ikebukuro
About | Access | Hotels & Lodging | Hours & Fees
Sugamo in Tokyo Japan by George Alexander (CC BY 2.0)
About
Sugamo is a city and station on the main Yamanote that is famous for being the "Old Ladies Harajuku" ("Harajuku" is the city where young girls shop). The city actually does cater to the elder folk and there is an 800 meter long shopping street called Jizo Dori Shopping Street (地蔵通り) that is lined with more than 200 shops that sell clothing, traditional food and other goods marketed toward the elderly. What is nice about this shopping street is that it is accessible to the flat and handicapped.
Sugamo is also popular for its traditional Japanese sweets like the Shio-Daifuku, pounded rice cakes that contain sweet bean paste and salt to moderate the sweetness. Jizo Dori Shopping Street is a great respite from the usual crowded shopping streets in Tokyo and is everything what you expect about Japan and its everyday life, it is really a pleasant place. Even younger generation folks love it because it's one of the few shopping districts in Tokyo that still carry antique type stuff and traditional confections, chopsticks, etc. kind of a hidden gem for souvenir hunters.
Before Sugamo became popular with the older ladies for shopping, it originally was a popular destination because of the Kogani Temple. Kogani Temple is halfway down Jizo Dori Shopping Street (easily found) and within that temple is a statue called Togenuki Jizo. Togenuki Jizo is said to heal ailments! What you do is wash the statue with a small hand towel and then place that towel you used to wash the statue on your ailing body part... and it is said to bring relief! Give it a try, why not:)
You can get to Jizo Dori Shopping Street by walking northwest from Sugamo Station. If you don't know which way northwest is, just walk up to someone or a JR train guy and ask, "Jizo Dori wa dochi desuka?" (Which way is Jizo Dori?). He or she will point you in the right direction.
Access
Closest Train Station: Sugamo
Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0002 Japan
Sugamo is on the main Yamanote Line that encircles Tokyo.
Hotels & Lodging
Recommended
View a full list of Hotels and Lodging in or nearby Sugamo.
Hours & Fees
Hours: This is a Area, therefore each establishment has it's own hours but generally shops in Japan generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. while restaurants are generally open until 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m.
Cost: Each establishment's cost is different.
