Ikebukuro, one of the major stations along the Yamanote line, is ambiguously placed in Tokyo, both spatially and discursively. Serving as a black-market in the immediate post-1945 era, and situated as a major hub leading to Tokyo's Northwestern suburban sprawl today, its position as an in-between space is mirrored in its image as a site of excessive consumption and play. This position has also meant it has become home to many marginalised groups and consumption practices in Tokyo. This article demonstrates the ways that thinking from the Yamanote inspires thinking about mobility, heterotopia and the interstices they create. Specifically, it explores the different forms of mobility, from transportation, to people and media, which have produced Ikebukuro's place as a borderland. Understanding these mobilities as historically cumulative, it shows how the Yamanote in many ways made Ikebukuro, and how in turn Ikebukuro exemplifies the heterotopic nature of Tokyo more generally. Today, Ikebukuro is one of the largest sites of social activity among recent Chinese migrants in Japan, with its Northwestern area unofficially referred to as Tokyo Chinatown by some. At the same time, it is home to many other migrant groups and constitutes the second largest adult entertainment district in Tokyo. It attracts waves of consumers on their way home to neighbourhoods in Saitama, and is only second to Akihabara as a space that ‘rotten girls’ and ‘otaku’ frequent. These practices and groups are also reflected upon in popular culture, where Ikebukuro is portrayed as a site of danger and excitement. Through these analyses, the importance of heterotopias to marginalised groups in Japan is explored, as well as the crucial role the Yamanote plays in making heterotopias possible.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)