What to Do in Nakano

It’s always tempting to compare Nakano to its neighboring Special Wards. Maybe it’s not as flashy as Shinjuku and it doesn’t have the hipster cred of Suginami’s Koenji and maybe it doesn’t have the sleepy atmosphere of Nerima, but mostly because of Nakano Broadway, site of otaku nerd culture pilgrimage Nakano’s quiet charms are being uncovered.

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Nakano Central Park

The result of a massive urban renewal project completed in 2012, Nakano Central Park encompasses rather sterile residential and corporate structures as well as a particularly welcoming chunk of city park, the project has helped the project of turning the area around Nakano Station into a new city center. (It’s also got a great pancake operation: J.S. Pancake Cafe, run by clothing brand that also operates credible hamburger joints.)

Nakano Central Park

The park itself welcomes a fun mix of aging West Tokyo bohemians and the young families that are making a community out of the up and coming neighborhood. Through the summer, the park hosts events and festivals that are a great excuse to spend the afternoon chilling on the grass.

Nakano Central Park Minami Building

: Tokyo Nakano-ku Nakano 4-chome 10-2

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illi Nakano

中野区新井1丁目9-4 フィルパーク中野ビル Tokyo

Travel Guide

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Kuroneco

After prowling Nakano Broadway for a while, stop in at Kuroneco for another taste of the otaku way of life. Like the maid cafes that now seem to occupy every second storefront in Akihabara, the city’s other otaku Mecca, Kuroneco follows about the same concept: young women in maid costumes run the front of house, serving up meals with a heavy dose of G rated flirtation. At the risk of editorializing, the maid cafes in Akihabara can be slightly, well, creepy but Kuroneco offers a more down to earth experience: better drinks and better food, and less childlike playacting from the friendly hostesses.

黒猫メイド魔法カフェ

: 東京都中野区中野5-56-11 中野共英ビル1F

: 03-5942-7540

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Showa Shinmichi Shotengai

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Showa Shinmichi Shotengai

After experiencing the retail playground that is Sun Mall, north of Nakano Station, spend some time experiencing the alleyway capillaries that branch off from the main artery. While Sun Mall has become increasingly given over to chain stores, its smaller cousins still host mostly independent shops.

Showa Shinmichi Shotengai

Start with Showa Shinmichi Shotengai. This shopping arcade, or shotengai, is its own distinct entity, running from Sun Mall. Like many of the other smaller shotengai, it has its own particular character and hosts many small taverns, including a locally famous standing bar called Pani Pani, renowned for its chicken cream stew and grilled gyoza.

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Yakushi Ai Road

Yakushi Ai Road is another one of the neighborhood shotengai that is mostly unknown outside of the neighborhood. The street hosts a range of businesses, including a brilliant South Indian eatery (called, simply, South India Dining), Poneri (a casual Italian restaurant), and a Sichuanese restaurant opened by a disciple of Chen Kenmin (the man that popularized Sichuan cuisine in Japan, and the father of Iron Chef Chinese, Chen Kenichi).

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Papabubble

Another business that has found a home on Yakushi Ai Road is Papabubble, one of the Tokyo outposts of the Barcelona headquartered artisanal caramel shop. Stop in to watch the staff handcrafting the shop's array of candy, and pick up some Nakano branch only exclusives.

Whether you are making the trek out to Nakano Broadway or are simply looking to explore an interesting West Tokyo ‘hood, Nakano offers urban sophistication as well as, for those willing to go a bit deeper, an undiscovered country of picture perfect shotengai, lazy lanes to stroll and raucous locals only standing bars to end your night in.

PAPABUBBLE Nakano