MARUZEN Kyoto

A lot of foreign residents of Tokyo, or those visiting and swept up in the excitement, want to join the fun of collecting manga, or want to deepen their knowledge of Japanese culture while they’re there. Maruzen Bookstore is the best place to do that, with a huge English section which offers a good range of manga for sale, as well as Japanese history books and literature, a lot of which can’t be found on Amazon or Kindle and is often out of print.
(Accessible via the Yamanote, Fukutoshin, and Marunouchi subway lines)
This area is one of the happiest and energetic in Tokyo. Full of hotels, cafes, and cheap-but-tasty restaurants, Ikebukuro is a big draw for budget travellers and young nerds.
The most successful Sanrio mascot, after Hello Kitty, is the depressed and lethargic egg, Gudetama (his name deriving from the Japanese word for egg – tamago – and the onomatopoeia for laziness – gude). Gudetama Cafes have been slowly popping up across Japan and Taiwan, and the cafe in Ikebukuro is currently the only one in Tokyo. The cafe’s interior is styled after Gudetama as he lazes around sorrowfully in different hilarious positions and situations, and the menu items all feature his sad face in a clever way. The menu also offers a mix of sweet foods and full meal items, such as sandwiches and burgers.