Takadanobaba Area Guide

Particularly popular with students and office workers, the transport hub of Takadanobaba, near Shinjuku, may well be renowned for its plethora of cheap izakaya and international eateries but you would also be foolish to ignore its more artistic charms. Much like its clientele, Baba (as it is lovingly referred to) is very much a melting pot. Grab some wallet-friendly yakitori and an ice-cold namachuu (medium-sized draft beer), and also visit a rustic cinema that only showcases double-bills, or unwind in the area’s atmospheric jazz bars.

There is many a reason why Baba is so well-known amongst Tokyoites. For one, it is an integral piece in Tokyo’s intricate public transport puzzle. Servicing almost 700,000 passengers a day, Takadanobaba Station runs a trilateral of trains, via the Yamanote, Seibu-Shinjuku, and Tozai Subway lines. The station ferries its weary passengers around Tokyo or up north to Saitama, be they knackered white-shirt clad kaishain (company employees) or caffeine-deprived college students, the latter of whom certainly propel Baba’s popularity. For Takadanobaba is the home of Waseda University, one of Japan’s top private institutions and a favorite amongst international students. But, whether you’re carrying a briefcase or a battered notebook, Baba does not discriminate. Once the sun sets, all may descend upon its innumerable izakaya and restaurants.

Sakae-dori

Directly opposite the Waseda Exit of Takadanobaba Station lies the entrance to Sakae-dori, a street positively pulsing with the clinking of beer glasses and the sizzling of skewers. Narrow but fluid, this long street is lined with izakaya and restaurants to match any budget. A fabulous introduction for any student to the culture of a Japanese drinking street, visitors can drop into the omnipresent chains Torikizoku or TekeTeke, or a more curated and pricier option like Baird Beer Taproom, which offers an eclectic selection of Japan-made Belgian beers. 

Big-Box

Looming over the Baba skyline like an urban lord, the BIG BOX complex is one of the major landmarks in this area of the city. Clothing stores, restaurants, bars, and even bowling alleys can be found under its huge roof. An evening’s itinerary conveniently packaged within a single building, BIG BOX is a favorite for students who want to feast on economically aware Japanese staples like sushi and ramen, and follow this up by singing the night away in a karaoke room. 

Waseda-dori

Running from the Imperial Palace to the scenic suburb of Kichijoji, the 16-kilometre-long Waseda-dori is not restricted to the titular university. However, the stretch from the campus to Takadanobaba Station is most certainly dedicated to students, with an assortment of bookstores, cafés, karaoke towers, and gakushoku (student meals) lining the street. With delectable lunch spots like Niigata Katsudon Tarekatsu, which specializes in thinly cut pork cutlets, or Ramen Yamaguchi, whose chicken-based broth leaves a more refreshing impression upon the palate, Waseda-dori is a prime location to refuel, whether you’re heading to the library, the classroom, or the office. 

Waseda Shochiku

It’s not only culinary goodies that help promote Baba’s section of Waseda-dori. The student sphere has ensured that the street also offers a healthy serving of local culture. Takadanobaba is a buzzing hub of activity, with a footfall to rival the volumes seen in Shibuya and Shinjuku. However, this only reinforces the need for establishments that offer an escape from such traffic. Fortunately, Waseda-dori’s rich history has facilitated that these institutions are still standing tall. Chief amongst them is Waseda Shochiku, a classic movie theater that is affiliated with the legendary production studio of the same name. 

Established in 1951 as a first-run film theater, Shochiku now operates as a nostalgia-laden film house, dedicated to the art of the moving picture. Briefly closing in 2002, the Waseda Shochiku Revival Project led by local university students, resulted in the cinema reopening the next year. The beauty of Shochiku lies in its romantic tethering to the past, taking form not only as a film house but also as a time capsule. This sentiment is captured in the showing of primarily classic films from both the Japanese and foreign lens.

With tickets being sold as double-features, Shochiku harkens back to Hollywood’s 1930s golden era of the B-movie and the main feature. This model of two-film double bills champions the importance of taking some time to appreciate artistic endeavor, by simply stepping off the street and into this 35mm paradise. 

Tickets for these double features are priced at 1,500 yen for adults and 1,200 yen for students.

Jazz Spot Intro

Consistent with this motif of artistic endeavor, Takadanobaba also plays host to the rhythmic retreat that is Jazz Spot Intro (JSI). Having been home to blue notes and first timers alike, JSI is a jazz club that curates collaboration and pushes for free-form participation. A jam session in its purest form. Rather intimate, accommodating only around 30 guests, JSI truly comes to life after 10pm, when the artists start to play and the club transforms from a collection of strangers to a single pulsing organism. Whether you are playing or solely spectating, an evening at JSI will soon melt into the nocturnal, as you become lost in the sound and warm glow of this retro rhinestone. With the melodies of pianists, saxophonists, and drummers harmonizing in frenetic perfection, your ticket to ride only costs the price of a drink, set at a very reasonable 1,000 yen. 

Takadanobaba: A Culture and Nightlife Hub

Takadanobaba may not demand the same attention as Shinjuku’s Kabukicho or Shibuya’s Scramble, and yet, it fulfills a similarly multi-faceted role for the denizens of Tokyo’s neon-soaked streets. Primarily a transport hub, yes, but also an important pillar in Tokyo’s evening itinerary. From the sizzling scents of Sakae-dori to the mesmerizing melodies of JSI, much like a performer at the aforementioned jazz club, Baba itself is an integral player in Tokyo’s swinging nightlife band. Though it is imperative that alongside the izakaya and creative cuisines, one does not forgo the more overtly cultural elements of this momentous quarter. With antique bookshops that offer works brushed finely with the dust of literary legends, a cinema that clings tightly to the traditions of an age long since passed, and a university with a history dating back to the Meiji era, Takadanobaba is far more than just a drinking district. Baba is, essentially, a looking glass into Japan’s performative past and its pioneering present.