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Kichijoji
From Virtual Japan
Kichijoji (吉祥寺) is a Tokyo neighborhood located within the city of Musashino. The commercial district to the North of the Kichijoji train station is the hub for the area while the train station itself is well traveled by the Chuo Line, Sobu Line, Tozai Line, and Keio Inokashira Line.
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Shopping Districts
The Kichijoji shopping district is located on Sun Road, extending from the station to the North. This area is well known for its numerous boutiques and restaurants right alongside multiple different forms of entertainment. In the midst of the shopping district is the Gessoji Buddhist temple with its own graveyard. Beyond the temple are a series of Shinto Shrines where multiple festivals are held throughout the year.
Shops in the Kichijoji district include department stores such as Marui, Isetan, and Mitsukoshi, American stores like Tower Records, and multiple local specialty shops such as the likes of the yakitori restaurants in Harmonica Yokocho. Nakamichi Street is another source of small boutiques and local fare northwest of the station.
Nightlife
All around the station are multiple nightlife attractions, including multiple western and Japanese style restaurants, bars, izakaya, and live music clubs. The red light district on the Northeast side of the station is one of the largest in the city and contains a collection of hostess bars, hotels, and cabarets.
Inokashira Park
This park, from which the Kanda River forms, is just South of Kichijoji Station and is a popular spring cherry blossom viewing location. Also located here are the Ghibli Museum and a petting zoo. The South side of Kichijoji is often ranked highly in surveys of popular districts in which to live for these reasons.
Inokashira Park is also unique in that it was originally founded by an Emperor and was the first such park to be opened to the public. Various prints show Tokugawa Ieyasu using the water in the park for tea ceremonies and the natural spring water has been dated back to the 17th century as a source of drinking water for Mitaka City residents.
On weekends and national holidays, Inokashira Park is filled with flea market stands selling everything from tea sets to second clothing. Performers put on outlandish acts ranging from singing and dancing to more abstract displays of human statues or scenes from horror films.
Ghibli Museum
The Ghibli Museum is located about 10 minutes south of Kichijoji Station next to Inokashira Park and contains exhibits from the work of directors like Hayao Miyazaki and his Ghibli peers. Multiple displays of animation, Rube Goldberg machines, and playrooms for children make up a vast collection in this museum. To enter the museum, reserved tickets are required. Tickets cost 1000 Yen for adults and 400 Yen for children.