Shimokitazawa Walking Guide — Two Micro-Cinemas and a Bookstore

Around Shimokitazawa Station there are 3 walking spots, ranging from micro-cinemas to a bookstore. Two of them are movie theaters, with budgets of 1,500 yen and 2,000 yen. The third is a bookstore on the second floor of the BONUS TRACK complex, with a budget of 1,750 yen — which means this area lets you build a walk with a film folded into the middle of it.

A good order: start at [Shimokita - Ekimae - Cinema "K2"](/en/spot/30cc50a6-bcbd-4860-acce-0e63105351be) right outside the station, pick out a book at [Bookstore B&B](/en/spot/f5072911-2e7a-4bab-9d6e-5c41f36f9a44), and finish at [Shimokitazawa Tollywood](/en/spot/7d3ed442-53a6-4944-933d-e9d1a9f5cf99). All three list Shimokitazawa Station as their nearest station, and the three budgets add up to 5,250 yen.

Shimokita - Ekimae - Cinema "K2"

A micro-cinema directly in front of Shimokitazawa Station. As the name suggests, it sits right by the station and mainly screens films that rarely make it into large multiplexes. It lets you slot one movie into a Shimokitazawa walk otherwise spent among vintage shops and cafés. Being close enough to step straight back out into the neighborhood afterwards is part of the appeal. Budget: 1,500 yen.

Bookstore B&B

A bookstore on the second floor of Shimokitazawa's BONUS TRACK complex. It opened in 2012, and the B&B in its name stands for Book & Beer. It has carried on as a bookstore where you can browse the shelves with a drink in hand, and has also served as a venue for talk events with authors and editors. Stopping in mid-walk to take the time to choose one book makes for a good pause. Address: Setagaya-ku, Daita 2-36-15, BONUS TRACK 2F. Budget: 1,750 yen.

Shimokitazawa Tollywood

A small cinema a few minutes' walk from Shimokitazawa Station, in the basement of Cherbourg Shimokitazawa. It screens mainly indie films, shorts and self-produced work, so you can come across films you won't meet at the major multiplexes. It makes a fitting close to a walk through Shimokitazawa, a town of theater and music. Address: 5-32-5 Daizawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Cherbourg Shimokitazawa 20B. Budget: 2,000 yen.

One last tip. Since two of the three spots are cinemas, check what's screening before you fix your walking order. If you only want one film, the choice is between keeping it to 1,500 yen at K2 by the station or spending 2,000 yen at Tollywood downstairs. Bookstore B&B stretches or shrinks depending on how long you spend choosing a book, so it sits well between the two cinemas.