Animate introduces multilingual signage for ‘Animate Street’ in Ikebukuro

Animate, the specialty retailer for anime, comics, and games, has introduced new decorations for ‘Animate Street’ in front of its Ikebukuro main store. The street, a 430-meter stretch of road in Toshima City, was officially designated with this nickname on March 1, 2025, following local community feedback.

To accommodate the increasing number of international visitors, the signage on the street includes 37 different languages. The initiative aims to help visitors navigate the area, connecting the entertainment district in the north to the dining area in the south, thereby encouraging foot traffic and local economic activity.

Currently, the multilingual panel sheets are installed along the curbs of the northern third of the street. Animate representatives stated that the goal is to make the flagship store more recognizable to global fans and to encourage them to explore the broader Ikebukuro area.