Sunshine City

In short

Sunshine City is a large-scale commercial complex that opened in 1978 in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Across five buildings, it brings together an aquarium, an observation deck, shopping centers, a hotel, a museum, and a theater. Its central skyscraper, Sunshine 60, was the tallest building in Asia at the time of its completion.

• ​Sunshine 60 Observation Deck​​: Offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Tokyo from 251 meters above sea level.
• ​Fountain Square​​: Located on the basement first floor of the alpa shopping center, where visitors can enjoy fountain shows paired with a large video screen.
• ​Ceramic Tile Mural "Four Seasons of Edo"​​: A mural based on an original painting by Japanese painter Kataoka Tamako, located on the west side of Sunshine 60's first floor.

History and Highlights

​Sunshine City​ is a large-scale complex located in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima Ward. It opened in 1978. Composed of five buildings, it gathers an aquarium, an observation deck, shopping centers, offices, event spaces, restaurants, a hotel, a museum, a theater, and more. Over 30 million people visit each year.

This site was once home to the Tokyo Detention House. After the war, it was requisitioned by GHQ and became Sugamo Prison, where seven Class-A war criminals, including former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki, as well as Class-B and Class-C war criminals, were executed. The Tokyo Detention House moved to Kosuge in 1971, and the former site was slated for redevelopment as a subcenter of Tokyo.

Construction began in 1973 and was completed five years later in 1978. The central building, Sunshine 60, is a skyscraper with 60 floors above ground and 4 basement levels. Standing at 239.7 meters tall, it was the tallest building in Asia when it was completed.

The World Import Mart Building houses the Sunshine Aquarium, Konica Minolta Planetarium "Manten", and the indoor theme park NAMJATOWN. The Bunka Kaikan Building contains the Sunshine Theatre and The Ancient Orient Museum.

Viewing and Experience Points

• ​Views from the Observation Deck​​: Sunshine 60's observation deck, "Tenbou Park", is situated 251 meters above sea level. Because there are no tall buildings nearby, visitors can enjoy unobstructed, 360-degree distant views. At night, the cityscape unfolds with vistas including Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
• ​Fountain Square​​: The lower levels feature two shopping centers: "alpa Specialty Shopping Center" and "Sunshine City ALTA". At the center of alpa, the Fountain Square on the basement first floor features a large video display measuring 4.3 meters high by 15.4 meters wide and a fountain. Visitors can enjoy fountain performances combining visuals, music, and lighting.
• ​Art in the Building​​: On the west side of the first floor of Sunshine 60, there is a ceramic tile mural entitled "Four Seasons of Edo", created based on an original work by Order of Culture recipient and Japanese painter Kataoka Tamako.

Walking Tips

From Ikebukuro Station, it is about an 8-minute walk from Exit 35. Walking down Sunshine 60 Street, the entrance to an underground passageway can be found next to "Sunshine Vision" on the right. From Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, it is about a 3-minute walk via an underground passage from Exits 6 and 7. From Higashi-Ikebukuro-yonchome Stop on the Toden Arakawa Line, it is about a 4-minute walk. Since its opening, the complex has utilized a graywater recycling system that purifies wastewater from the building to flush toilets. It was the first such system in Japan for an individual building. The street on the west side of Sunshine 60 is Otome Road, which is lined with anime merchandise shops.