Ikebukuro-mitake-jinja, Shinto shrine in Japan
Ikebukuro-mitake-jinja is a Shinto shrine in the Ikebukuro district of western Tokyo, a short walk from the west exit of Ikebukuro Station. It consists of a wooden main hall, stone lanterns along the paths, and small carved owl statues placed near the entrance.
The shrine was founded in the late 1500s to protect the village that once stood where Ikebukuro now stands, and its wooden main hall dates to the late 1600s. The building was heavily damaged during World War II and was rebuilt in the years that followed.
The owl is deeply tied to the identity of the Ikebukuro neighborhood, and this shrine is one of the places where that connection is most visible. Visitors often come to see the wooden owl figures near the main hall, which people treat as tokens of good fortune.
The shrine can be reached on foot from the west exit of Ikebukuro Station in just a few minutes and is open throughout the year at no cost. A hand-washing basin is available just inside the entrance for visitors who wish to follow the traditional purification step before approaching the main hall.
The owl figures placed near the main hall were added in 2002 and are linked to a local story about a girl who prayed every night for her sick mother. Since then, the owl has spread well beyond the shrine and become the informal symbol of the whole Ikebukuro neighborhood.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
