Higashi-ikebukuro Station
Y10 · Yurakucho Line · Toshima
Higashi-ikebukuro Station (東池袋)
Higashi-ikebukuro opened on 30 October 1974 with the first section of the Yurakucho Line, and its island platform on the second basement level has slowly acquired connections rather than lines. An underground passage runs to Sunshine City, another opened in April 2015 to the Toshima ward office complex, and the Tokyo Sakura Tram stops directly above the eastern exits at Higashi-ikebukuro-yonchome – not announced as a transfer by Tokyo Metro, though the tram’s own signs and printed timetables treat it as one.
The Fukutoshin Line passes just west of here without stopping. A station at Higashi-ikebukuro appeared in the route plans of 1972 and 1985 but was left out when the line was fixed in 2001, and the tunnel on that stretch was built with the heavier segments that would make a later insertion easier. Ministry data for 2015 listed the run from here to Gokokuji among the most crowded stretches in Tokyo at peak times; the 2025 survey counted 46,605 entries and exits a day, 82nd on the network.
Finding Higashi-ikebukuro on the signs
Every line gives the station its own letter-and-number code. You never have to read the Japanese name to find the right platform.
Station numbers at Higashi-ikebukuro
Tokyo signposts every platform, exit and train door with a letter and a two-digit number. Matching the number is faster than reading the name — and it is what you will see on the map, in announcements and on the platform edge.
First and last trains at Higashi-ikebukuro
| Line and direction | Weekdays first – last | Saturdays, Sundays & holidays first – last |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakuchoY10 towards Shin-kiba | 05:02 – 00:01 | 05:02 – 00:01 |
| YYurakuchoY10 towards Wakoshi | 05:09 – 00:31 to Ikebukuro | 05:09 – 00:31 to Ikebukuro |
Departure times come from the operators’ own GTFS timetables (ODPT GTFS Toei-Train-GTFS (version 20261009, valid 2026-03-14..2027-03-12) + TokyoMetro-Train-GTFS (version 20261008, valid 2026-09-19..2027-03-12)). Japan publishes two subway timetables: 平日 weekdays and 土休日 Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. There is no separate Sunday timetable, and the December 30 – January 3 period runs the holiday timetable.
How often do trains run?
| Line | Weekdays, busiest hour | Sat / Sun / holidays, busiest hour |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | 21 trains/hour (about one every 2.9 min) | 12 trains/hour |
Departures in one direction during the hour with the most trains at this station, counted in the operators’ timetable.
Next stations from Higashi-ikebukuro
Scheduled running time between Higashi-ikebukuro and the stations either side of it.
| Line | Next station | Running time |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Y11Gokokuji | 2 min |
| YYurakucho | Y09Ikebukuro | 3 min |
Transfers and connections
- Tram: Tokyo Sakura Tram (Arakawa Line) (Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation). These are separate railways with their own fares.
Accessibility
| Line | Step-free by elevator | Accessible toilet | Escalator | Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
- Yurakucho Line: Step-free elevator route street-gate-platform (official “1-route by elevator”). Street elevator at exit(s): 1. Operator page (checked Oct 20, 2026).
Taken from the operators’ own accessibility pages and nothing else. Tokyo Metro: the “1-route” (step-free street-gate-platform path by elevator, slope, stair lift or wheelchair escalator) is complete at all 180 stations; a separate list shows stations with an elevator-only 1-route.
What is near Higashi-ikebukuro Station?
Sunshine City is the anchor, about 380 m from the exits with the Sunshine Aquarium, Namjatown, the Ancient Orient Museum and the Sunshine 60 observation deck inside it, reachable underground. Toshima City Office is roughly 190 m away in the tower the station connects to directly, with the Toshima no Mori rooftop garden above it. Hinodecho Park is around 200 m from the gates, the Philosopher’s Forest about 310 m, and Tokyo Fukushi University and Tokyo International University’s Ikebukuro campus are both within the same walk.
| Place | Distance (straight line) | On foot, estimated |
|---|---|---|
| Toshima Midori Disaster Prevention Park としまみどりの防災公園 | 350 m | about 6 min |
| Honryuji Temple 本立寺 | 360 m | about 6 min |
| Sunshine Aquarium サンシャイン国際水族館 | 380 m | about 6 min |
| Sunshine City サンシャインシティ | 380 m | about 6 min |
| 盛泰寺 | 380 m | about 6 min |
| Hinodemachi second park 日出町第二公園 | 70 m | about 1 min |
| Auru Supotsu あうるすぽっと | 110 m | about 2 min |
| Hinodecho Park 日出町公園 | 200 m | about 3 min |
Places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the station. The walking time is an estimate (straight line plus 30 %, 80 m a minute), not a measured route. © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.