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Namja Town and its weird ice cream flavors

By on November 15, 2021

We visited Fukuburo Dessert Yokocho, one of two food courts at indoor theme park NamjaTown on the 2nd floor of Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City.  

Sunshine City is a large commercial complex with kiddie attractions like a museum, planetarium, aquarium and food shops.

Namjatown is a two-level theme park designed by Namco, the creators of the Pac-Man game. Upon entering, you feel very much like you are walking within an imaginary, animated world based upon the narrow streets of Japan.

Food is a major theme here: Namja Town is filled with stores selling a range of food from gyoza dumplings to ice cream cups and cones.

The second floor hosts “Namja Gyoza Stadium,” where perhaps even more interesting than the wide variety of dumpling choices is the variety of seating areas in which to eat them: tables and chairs are creatively set up in every nook and cranny from tiny alleyways, tatami rooms, locker rooms…all within the winding, twisty, “animated” streets. The second floor also houses “Suburb Town,” a pretend ghost town that is a bit dark but not too frightening for youngsters.

“Namja Dessert” was where we had set our sights, and it proved true to its name: ice cream, ice cream, ice cream…in fabulous combinations! We tried the Turkish soft ice cream creation from the Dondurna Café, and I say creation because our dessert was a work of art. The soft sticky cream was molded and stretched in a silver vat, then dipped into a fountain of flowing chocolate before being topped with sprinkles. The ice cream “master” then twirled the ice cream cone on a long wooden handle before presenting it to my very surprised daughter. We felt we had watched a magic show, and then had a huge treat to share…all for 400 yen! The 3rd floor is also home to “Dessert Land,” full of crepes pancakes, and all things sweet, plus a carousel with unique unpainted wooden horses.

The ice cream cups come in a wide array of flavors ranging from common to weird and anything in between.  Think ox tongue, Shark’s fin noodle, Miso ramen (with real noodles in it), vegetarian sesame, salt, oyster, etc.

After we’d had our fill of ice cream and exploration, we proceeded to find our way out of Namja Town, which was no easy feat in the dimly lit alleyways, but we always kept the green exit sign in sight. I know we will return with the rest of the family and their friends- we saw many Japanese High School students enjoying themselves, so Namja Town looks to be a sure hit with teens. Plus, we have so much more food to try…gyoza, burgers, cakes, and every flavor of ice cream you can imagine.

Address: Sunshine City World Import Mart, 2nd and 3rd Floors
3 Higashi Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo  Tel 03-5950-0765

Nearest Station: Ikebukuro
Exit #: 35 (Follow signs to Sunshine City)
Line(s): JR Yamanote/Tobu Toju/Seibu Ikebukuro

By car: Highway/road name: Sunshine 60 Dori
Parking Available: Yes

Ticket Information

For access to the majority of the park, more interactive play and admission to all attractions, you can purchase the passport here.

Hours: 10:00am-10:00 pm daily

Handy Hints:

At Sunshine City, follow maps to second floor Namja Town and purchase ticket from machine for park entry. Ice Cream City is located on the 3rd floor, within the theme park.
A visit to Namja Town would be greatly enhanced if you had a Japanese speaker/reader in your party, as all signs are in Japanese.

About Valerie Sawatzky