Since 2013, due to the Tokyo Metropolitan Plan, the railway undergrounding between Higashi-Nakano and Setagaya-Daita stations on the Odakyu Line has started, and with the Shimokitazawa Densha-Mae Plan started in 2019, the railway space vacated by the undergrounding around Shimokitazawa Station on the Odakyu Line has started the construction of new facilities. In order to maintain the subculture characteristics of the alleys of Shimokitazawa, new spaces such as “SHIMOKITAEKIUE” co-constructed with the station, “BONUS TRACK” which gathers shops, bookstores, shared kitchens and galleries, and “reload” which combines individual stores have been created, and since its opening, it has become a new topic among young people in Tokyo.
This article is about “BONUS TRACK”, a literary space connecting Setagaya-Daita Station to Shimokitazawa Station, which opened in April 2020. What are the interesting shops to visit? Let’s take a look!
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How to Get to BONUS TRACK ?
- Address: 2-36-15 Daizawa, Setagaya-ku
- Business Hours: 8:00~20:00 (Each store has different business hours, please refer to the official website for the time)
- Official Website
BONUS TRACK Located in the former location of the Odakyu line surface tram between Odakyu line Station and Setagaya-Daita Station, which is now the “Shimokitazawa Route Street”, you can choose to walk south from the Odakyu line’s “Shimokitazawa Station” for 10 minutes, or north from the Odakyu line’s “Setagaya-Daita Station” for 5 minutes.
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Head to BONUS TRACK Around Setagaya-Daita Station
The main axis of this stroll is Shimokitazawa Station. I chose to come out from the south side of “Setagaya Daita Station” and went north along the Odakyu line route, passing “BONUS TRACK” and then Shimokitazawa Station, and then going to “reload“.
Once out of Setagaya-Daita Station, you can feel the leisurely atmosphere here. The surrounding paths like a park green space can extend all the way to BONUS TRACK.
Setagaya-Daita Station is also the filming location of the Japanese drama “Silent” starring Kawaguchi Haruna and Mumei Kureha. The “bench” in front of the ticket gate and the “Daita Fuji-mi Bridge” across the street are the shooting scenes for fans to check in.
【Setagaya Daikanyama Station Surrounding Sweets】White Beard Puff Factory
The most popular place around Setagaya-Daita Station is the “Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory“, the only officially recognized dessert shop of Studio Ghibli in the world. It is opened by Miyazaki Hayao’s siblings, and its most popular product is the Totoro Pâtisserie! Shirohige Pâtisserie has two stores in Tokyo, and this store is located near “Setagaya-Daita Station”. Not only can you take away the shaped desserts, but you can also sit down and have a meal!
Read More: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory- The Only Official Totoro Bakery Cafe
【BONUS TRACK】Introduction of Ideas
“BONUS TRACK” is a regional product of the Shimokitazawa Area Development Plan, born in response to the undergrounding of the Odakyu Line. The word “BONUS” in its name represents the addition of stores along the railway, and “TRACK” represents the railway track. “BONUS TRACK” itself also means an additional track on an album, symbolizing the artist’s self-expression and the personalized atmosphere of the Shimokitazawa area. We hope this place will become a new space for young people to develop in the future.
Currently, there are 13 stores in “BONUS TRACK”, one “Commercial Building” with restaurants, stylish shops, bookstores and shared workspace (Youtubers and other video creators can rent), and four “SOHO Building” with residential and commercial integration, mainly individual style stores, including “Nikkiya Tsukihi” with diary as the theme, “BIG ROMANTIC Store” selling Taiwanese cuisine “Braised pork rice”, and the famous Daikanyama juice store “Why＿? Juice” and other stores.
▼ Hanging the Logo of the Inverted Pendulum, the wooden house is also a BONUS TRACK building.
Below is the introduction of the featured stores of BONUS TRACK:
Stomackyuuuuun/胃袋にズキュン はなれ
Business Hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00~22:00, Friday 12:00~23:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00~23:00 (No break)
“胃袋にズキュン はなれ” is a store with the concept of “rediscovering the charm of Japan”, selling Japanese baked sweets and Japanese sake. Here you can taste baked snacks made with Japanese ingredients, paired with rare and precious sake from Japan.
Pianola records
Business Hours: 14:00~23:00 (Closed on Thursdays)
Pianola Records collects unique music types from all over the world, where you can buy second-hand and vintage items such as vinyl records, CDs and tapes. It is a great place for music lovers to shop. They also hold music-related events from time to time.
Nikkiya Tsukihi/日記屋 月日
Business Hours: 8:00~22:00 (No break)
「日記屋 月日（Nikkiya Tsukihi）」 is a diary specialty store that sells various products related to diaries, such as distinctive diaries, books related to diaries, mainly sharing the charm of writing diaries, and you can also have coffee in the store.
Hakko Department/発酵デパートメント
Business Hours: 11:00~22:00 (Closed on Wednesday)
発酵デパートメント（Hakko Department） is a specialty store that sells fermented foods. Fermented seasonings, pickles, pickles, sake, fermented tea, etc. can be found here both in Japan and abroad. You can also eat fermented foods on the spot and experience the progress of fermentation culture.
シモキタ雨庭広場/Shimokita Rain Garden Plaza
Take a stroll from BONUS TRACK to the south-west exit of Shimo-kitazawa Station, passing through “ののはら広場(Nonohara Hiroba)” and “シモキタ雨庭広場”, which are also great places for a walk with abundant plant landscapes.
Here in Shimokita Rain Garden Plaza is a playground for children, it’s more comfortable in spring and autumn, but in summer there is no shade, it’s super hot.
At “Nonohara Hiroba”, there is a mobile bookshop of the Japanese second-hand book network platform “VALUE BOOKS”, where those who understand Japanese can buy books.
Re-Planning Small Shops
Continue walking along the Odakyu Line to Shimotakaido Station, it is a walking area transformed after the whole railway was undergrounded, and some restaurants have opened in the narrow area, such as Mexican cuisine “Kitade Tacos Shimotakaido Store”.
The dining environment at Belleville Brûlerie TOKYO cafe is also very relaxed.
Conclusion
After the railway was undergrounded in the Kita-Senzawa area, after the urban transformation project in 2019, there are more comfortable pedestrian spaces around, and the small shops are also quite vibrant, feeling the ideals of young people’s cultural entrepreneurship, Kita-Senzawa is more interesting than before, and there are new activities every week, which is why I think Tokyo is so livable for people who like new things.
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