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.’

Shinjuku Shopping

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.

Read more here about Shinjuku shopping, with a shop-by-shop guide to the major stores.

Shinjuku Nightlife

Straight

Kabukicho is a red-light district behind and east of the Studio Alta building (exit B13 of Shinjuku Station), on Yasukuni-dori Avenue, 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. Watch a YouTube video of Kabukicho.

Gay

Shinjuku Ni-chome is the heart of the Tokyo gay scene.

Shinjuku Ni-Chome is accessible from the Central East Exit or South-East Exit of Shinjuku Station and is about 8 minutes' walk. This conclave of mostly tiny bars, as well as more spacious cruise bars, dance clubs, bookshops, cafes, and saunas, is a little world unto its own after dark. In warm weather, especially, the streets are thronged with men moving from place to place, or as spill-over from street bars, chatting with drinks in hands. All tastes catered for!

Bohemian

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

Museums in Shinjuku

For a full listing of Tokyo Museums & Art Galleries click here

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