Neighborhood · No. 07
Kichijoji & West Suburbs
吉祥寺・西多摩
Kichijoji is Tokyo's most-loved residential neighborhood; further west, the Tama region opens into the rural Tokyo most Tokyoites forget exists.
Park town, indie cafes, vintage records — and the rural-Tokyo escape further west
Kichijoji is Tokyo's most-loved residential neighborhood — Inokashira Park, secondhand bookstores, indie coffee, the Ghibli Museum. Further west the Tama region opens up: Tachikawa's massive Showa Memorial Park, Akiruno's Kurochaya 55-year-old kominka ryotei, the Akigawa river-bed grills, Mt. Mitake hikes. The Tokyo most Tokyoites forget exists.
- ✦ On the radar
Kichijoji & West Suburbs · shop
Oni Gunsō
オニグンソー
Oni Gunsō in Kichijoji stocks American toy and character goods—Garfield, M&Ms, Simpsons, South Park—crammed into narrow aisles. Affordable, treasure-hunt vibe; best visited solo or in pairs due to tight space.
⚠️ Open only Wed, Sat, Sun—verify hours before visiting, as the schedule is limited.
Read the editor's full guide → - ✦ On the radar
Kichijoji & West Suburbs · restaurant
Kurochaya
黒茶屋
Kurochaya is a 55-year-old kominka ryotei (traditional-house restaurant) in Akiruno's Akigawa Valley — far western Tokyo, where Tokyo softens into mountains and rivers. Every seat is a private room, the cooking centers on irori (sunken hearth) grilling, and the setting overlooks a valley most Tokyoites have never visited. ¥8,800-9,900 course, bus from Musashi-Itsukaichi station.
Read the editor's full guide →