Yodobashi Camera to open in Seibu Ikebukuro’s main store, mayor of Toshima ward opposes the loss of Ikebukuro’s “cultural identity”

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Ikebukuro has quickly grown to the point that it’s becoming like an Akihabara.

It has become the cosplay destination hosting many cosplay events, including the Halloween Cosplay Festival.  It has become a destination for anime and manga fans.

But Ikebukuro is known for its restaurants and its high end shops as well.

And Yodabashi Camera, known for its store in Akihabara, is now moving into the well-known Seibu Ikebukuro Main Store right near the Ikebukuro East Exit.

With Yodabashi Camera coming in to Seibu Ikeburo, that means many shops would have to vacate and leave.

The mayor of Toshima Ward, Takano Yukio, opposes the loss of Ikebukuro’s “cultural identity” which has attracted many customers including wealthy individuals to the location.

Mayor Takano said, “The overseas brand shops operated by the Seibu Ikebukuro main store will be withdrawn, and the customers and wealthy people who have been nurtured for many years will leave, and I think that the soil of the ‘city of culture’ that has been built up until now will be lost”.

Mayor Takano said he opposes any removal of lower level stores inside Seibu Ikebukuro.

Fortress Investment Group plans to collaborate with Yodobashi Holdings to develop stores that integrate department stores and electronics retailers.

if Yodobashi Camera moved into Ikebukuro, competition would intensify and the city would become overrun with mass electronics retailers (considering there are numerous Bic Camera and Yamada Denki stores right near the area).

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