Tokyo Guide: Shinjuku

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Tokyo Area Guide: Shinjuku

Shinjuku by night

Shinjuku, on the western edge, at roughly '9 o'clock', of the Yamanote Line, is truly a city unto itself.

First and foremost, Shinjuku means shopping, eating, and partying. It has several huge department stores, music stores, electronics stores, and hundreds and hundreds of bars and restaurants catering to every taste imaginable.

It is divided into Higashi (east) and Nishi (west) Shinjuku by the train lines that run through Shinjuku Station. Nishi Shinjuku in particular exudes wealth and power with its towering skyscrapers. One of the most eyecatching is Kenzo Tange's inspired citadel: Tokyo's city hall building, the 'Tocho', daily home to 13,000 bureaucrats.

Nearby is the Hyatt Park Hotel (venue for the film 'Lost in Translation') occupying another soaring Kenzo Tange construction: the Shinjuku Park Tower. Other notable buildings are the tapered and honeycombed Mode Gakuen building (also by Tange), the 54-storey Tokyo Opera City with its hi-tech NTT Intercommunication Center which features futuristic exhibitions and events.

Higashi Shinjuku, on the other hand, retains the district's original downtown shitamachi roots. This atmosphere is summed up in Shinjuku's three most well-known entertainment districts: Kabukicho, Shinjuku Ni-chome, and the odd little enclave known as the ‘Golden Gai.’

Kabukicho is a red-light district behind and just east of the Studio Alta building with its huge TV screen at which crowds rendezvous. Kabukicho is the setting for much of Natsuo Kirino’s novel Out. Though yakuza are out and about here, it is safe enough even at night, and plenty enough restaurants and bars that cater to every taste to keep you from having to wander for too long.

Shinjuku Ni-chome is the heart of Tokyo's gay scene. 'Golden Gai' is an area that has been slated for 'urban renewal' (aka, destruction) ever since the end of the War, and its continued existence seems more accidental than anything else. This ground-level warren of tiny bars has more than a bit of that 'Blue Velvet' feel: will you be rubbing elbows with a philosopher or a hustler? It is further distinguished by being perhaps the only area in Tokyo where all the buildings are more than 10 years old.

During the day, Shinjuku's massive department stores, from Shinjuku station eastwards, are a culture unto themselves. Each caters to a different class of customer, starting from Keio, then Odakyu, and working up through Marui, Takashimaya and up to Isetan. Basement floors are a grocery/delicatessen/confectionery cornucopia - full of free munchies (samples are put out to be eaten, not stared at: foodies, dig in - splash out!), and the service is world class at Isetan.

Need a break from Shinjuku's commercial crash and bang? Beautiful wide Shinjuku Gyoen Park is mere minutes walk away.

Museums in Shinjuku

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