Once a year, the wide boulevard outside the East Exit of Ikebukuro Station becomes an open-air living room. The IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP (イケブクロリビングループ) Special Market runs for three days, from Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1, 2026, on Green Odori and in Minami-Ikebukuro Park. This year marks the project’s 10th, and the theme is growing together (共に育む).
Expect farm vegetables sold by the growers themselves, coffee, bread, craft beer, handmade goods, workshops, live music and street performances, plus a set of booths built around reuse and composting. Here is what you need to plan a visit.
- Fri Oct 30 and Sat Oct 31: 11:00–20:00 / Sun Nov 1: 11:00–16:00
- Main venues: Green Odori (Ikebukuro East Exit) and Minami-Ikebukuro Park; Sunshine City is a sub-venue
- Five farms within about an hour of Ikebukuro sell their vegetables
- Two free-to-watch street talks are scheduled (details below)
- No admission fee is listed in the announcement, so check the official site before you go
Dates, hours and venues
Friday and Saturday run late, so the market works as an after-work stop too. Sunday closes earlier, at 16:00.
| Date | Hours |
|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 | 11:00–20:00 |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 11:00–20:00 |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 11:00–16:00 |
| Event | IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP Special Market |
|---|---|
| Concept | Everyday city life with a living room on the street (まちなかリビングのある日常) |
| Main venues | Green Odori outside Ikebukuro Station East Exit (池袋東口グリーン大通り) and Minami-Ikebukuro Park (南池袋公園) |
| Sub-venues | Sunshine City, plus partner facilities and shops in the area |
| Organizer | Green Odori Area Management Council (GAM) |
| Co-host | Toshima City |
| Planning & operation | nest Inc. / Grip Second Inc. / Sunshine City Corporation / Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd. |
| Admission | Not stated in the announcement. Please check the official website. |
| Official info | Special Market page / Instagram |
What is IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP?
IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP is a project that uses the street outside the East Exit as a base for neighborhood community. Working with companies and shops based in Toshima City, it holds markets on Green Odori and in Minami-Ikebukuro Park and runs trials aimed at keeping street furniture on the boulevard permanently. The goal is a town center that feels as comfortable as your own living room, a place you actually want to walk around.
The Special Market is the one big three-day edition each year. Local shops and facilities join in, so the idea is to loop around the neighborhood on foot rather than stay in one spot. During the market, the boulevard is lined with chairs and other furniture where you can sit and take a break.
Buy vegetables straight from the farmers
The rail lines running out of Ikebukuro reach farming areas in Nerima, Itabashi and Saitama. This year, five growers who practice sustainable, circular, natural methods within roughly an hour of Ikebukuro will sell their own vegetables on the street, about a three-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station.
Some of what they bring is also used in the course meals of FARM to STREET, the project’s street dining event. You can ask the growers how they farm before you buy, which is hard to do at a supermarket.
The growers also plan to hold farm tours. Details are on each farm’s own website or social accounts.
Reuse cups, compost and a paella that closes the loop
A cluster of booths focuses on reuse and recycling: a circular station, composting, reusable cups, and drop-off points for clothes and books. The aim is to let visitors try a small habit change while they shop and eat, rather than lecture them about it.
The best example is the paella. Food scraps collected at last year’s market were turned into compost, vegetables were grown in it, and those vegetables now go into a paella sold at this market. Scraps from this year’s meals head back to compost, so the cycle runs across a whole year.
Food, goods and things to do
Stallholders come from around Ikebukuro, along its rail lines, and from other parts of Japan. The announcement groups them like this:
| Food | Vegetables, baked sweets, lunch boxes, bread, coffee, wine, craft beer |
|---|---|
| Goods | Handmade items, clothing, accessories, carefully chosen books, antique furniture |
| Experiences | Workshops, live music and street performances |
The full list of stallholders and the day-by-day program will be posted on the official Special Market page.
Talk program schedule
Two talks under the banner of living-room talks in the city (まちなかリビングトーク) take place on the street itself, in front of PRONT Nissay Ikebukuro on Green Odori (池袋東口グリーン大通り PRONTニッセイ池袋店前). The talks are in Japanese.
| Talk | When | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 10 years of IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP and the future of Ikebukuro as an experimental city (IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOPの10年と実験都市池袋のこれから) | Fri, Oct 30 15:20–16:20 | 高際みゆき (Mayor of Toshima City) 渡辺裕之 (Watanabe Construction) 川上裕信 (Sunshine City) 前原一仁 (NPO Zephyr Ikebukuro) 西田司 (On Design Partners / Tokyo University of Science) 青木純 (nest) 馬場正尊 (nest / Open A) |
| The future of life with farming, seen from Tokyo, where food self-sufficiency is 0.4% (我ら農民芸術楽団〜食料自給率0.4%の東京から考える、農のある暮らしの未来〜) | Sun, Nov 1 11:00–11:40 | 冨永悠 (THE HASUNE FARM) 横田岳 (Yokota Farm) 柳田大地 (SOU FARM) 鴨志田純 (Kamoshida Farm) 野崎林太郎 (Narayamaen) 青木純 (nest) |
The first talk looks back on the social experiments run around Ikebukuro over the past decade with the mayor and local players. The second brings together the five growers from the market to talk about soil, food and the link between the city and the places food comes from.
Other events nearby that weekend
Several other events in Toshima City overlap with the market, so you can easily make a full day of it.
| Event | Dates | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine City PLAYPARK | Oct 30–Nov 1 | The market’s sub-venue at Sunshine City. Art activities and workshops on sustainability, with space for kids to play freely |
| TOSHIMA STREET FES | Nov 1, 2 and 3 | An urban street-culture festival in its 4th year: breakdance, MC battles, live painting, urban sports battles and workshops, plus art, music and food areas |
| Hyper Picnic (ハイパーピクニック) | Oct 31 | A picnic in the garden of Sankaku Square where people share their own ways of enjoying life. Postponed to Nov 1 if it rains |
If you like this kind of weekend outing, the Musashino Art University Festival guide covers another autumn event in Tokyo, and the Shibaura Canal Festival guide shows how a local street event can include free extras.
Tips before you go
- Watch the clock on Sunday. The market ends at 16:00 on Nov 1, four hours earlier than Friday and Saturday.
- Check the weather. Typhoons or other natural disasters can change or cancel the event. Updates go out on the official website and Instagram.
- Plan for the vegetables. If you want produce, a sturdy bag makes the walk home easier.
- Keep your phone charged. Looping between Green Odori, the park and Sunshine City means a lot of map checking. A rental power bank helps; see our guide to free ChargeSPOT rentals with d VALUE PASS.
- Details may change. The organizers note that program details can change, so check the official page close to the day.
FAQ
- Q. When is the IKEBUKURO LIVING LOOP Special Market?
- It runs on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 11:00 to 20:00, and on Sunday, November 1 from 11:00 to 16:00.
- Q. Where is it held?
- The main venues are Green Odori outside the East Exit of Ikebukuro Station and Minami-Ikebukuro Park. Sunshine City and other nearby facilities and shops take part as sub-venues.
- Q. Is there an admission fee?
- The announcement does not list an admission fee. Please check the official website before you go.
- Q. Can I still book FARM to STREET?
- No. FARM to STREET is fully booked on all three days. You can still buy vegetables from the farmers at the market stalls.
- Q. What happens if the weather is bad?
- Typhoons or other natural disasters may change or cancel the event. Updates are posted on the official website and Instagram.
Source: announcement by nest Inc. (press release). Information is current as of October 15, 2026 and may change.