What stuff is there to do in Kiba, Tokyo?

I lived there for a year, and I just recently moved away from Kiba, so this article is a funeral, in a way. A tribute to the good shit.

Visit Public Baths in Kiba

There are several sentos, or public baths, in Kiba. Too bad most of them are basically glorified hot tubs for two. However, there are a couple of nice selections.

Kobparauyu Sento

First, there’s the public bath near the APA Hotel called Kobparuyu: https://goo.gl/maps/1UVebDCdBDgTbigp8

Here is their website: http://koto-1010-sento.jp/bath/21/

Cost: 480 yen + 20 yen towel rental

Tsukishima Onsen

Tsukishima Onsen is a bit of a walk from Kiba Station, but it’s well worth it. There are hot and cold baths, bubblies, and even a dry sauna.

When you come in, rent everything you need from the vending machine on your right. The machine spits out a ticket, which you give to the old woman behind the counter. And presto! Enjoy.

And by the way, while you’re in Tsukishima, stop here at this izakaya. Their seafood is the best I’ve had in Japan. And it is the cheapest. No joke.

魚仁 3 Chome-12-5 Tsukishima, Chuo City, Tokyo 

Use Free Wifi and Electricity in Kiba

If you’re a bum writer like me, or maybe a coder or a graphic artist, maybe you find yourself traveling around with your laptop in search of free wifi and electricity.

Here are my favorite spots for that in Kiba.

• Ito Yokado Mall: there’s a dining area just inside the main entrance. If you sit up at the bar against the front window, there’s a wall of power plugs.
• Saizeria (the one by the station): I’m not talking about the Saizeria inside Ito Yokado, but the one in town, near Kiba Station. If you ask to be seated all the way in the back, there’s a line of single-person booths you can sit in. Those have plugs!
• Burger King: also by the station, Burger King seems like a decent choice. Unfortunately, the Burger King opened up just shortly before I moved out of Kiba, so I never had the chance to see if they had electricity or not. But it seems like a safe bet.
• Tully’s in Tsukishima: again, Tsukishima is not Kiba, but if you don’t mind hiking a short ways to Tsukishima station, you’ll find Tully’s right outside. I used to meet a friend over there to write. Good vibes, decent coffee, free wifi and electricity.

Party with Nightlife in Kiba

1. That Izakaya (the one I Forgot the Name of)

There are a few lively spots for night life in Kiba. For one thing, there’s a fun, gritty, local izakaya near the corner of Eitai Dori Street (3-chōme-5-10 Tōyō, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0016). I recommend ordering heart yakitori and mega highballs.

2. My Favorite Spot: Pang Pang

Pang Pang was a great time. There’s no seating charge, first of all, so that’s great. And on weekends, the place is usually jam packed full of colorful local people who all want to get wasted and laugh with you.

I used to go into Pang Pang with a little notebook and a pen. I would write new Japanese words in my notebook. That new corpus of vocabulary included gems like ほろよい (buzzed)、よっぱらい (drunk), and でいすい (shit-faced)。

Pang Pang staff will make you home made pizza fresh out the oven. It’s pretty good. And don’t take that lightly. I’m from New York, bitches. Almost everything is disappointing after New York pizza.

The Pang Pang crowd tends to be a little older, but everyone seems really genki and happy, so I definitely recommend it.

3. Shin Kiba Nightclub

Unfortunately, the one thing I can’t tell you about is the nightclub in neighboring Shin Kiba. That is because I lived in Kiba during the covid pandemic, when lots of bars and nightclubs closed down.

Not that I’m really the nightclub type. But that’s besides the point.

Laugh at the Bus that says Swallow Express

Because you know. What is this, bangbus?

Do Kiba Park

Kiba Park is huge. I mean, it’s not Yoyogi Park huge, but it’s a goodish sized park with plenty of stuff to do. It’s the perfect place for dating, exercise, play, family, or even just good old fashioned getting drunk on the lawn.

Kiba Park Botanical Garden

Yup, there’s a little botanical gardens walk in Kiba. You can see all the plants and flowers on your stroll.

The Bridge

There’s a big bridge in Kiba Park from which you can stand and watch the sunset or moonrise.

Exercise Course

There are signs running all along the perimeter of the park marking progress for runners. You can track your distance without checking your phone, which is a novelty in today’s tech-crazed age, don’t you think?

Swings N Shit

There’s swings n shit, so if you have kids, go here. I don’t have kids, so I didn’t care much about the swings n shit. Not that you’re ever too old for swings n shit. It’s just that there’s always actual kids playing there, and you can’t chase them away with their mothers watching.

Sakura Viewing in Kiba Park (Hanami)

There is great Sakura Viewing available in Kiba Park, too. You can check out the cherry blossoms there every spring. They are a beautiful sight to see.

Travel to Another Town

Look, I don’t want to sound sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek here. Actually, I do.

Sometimes, when you live in Kiba, the best thing to do is to go to a different town in Tokyo and have fun there, where there’s actually a lot of different shit to do.