The Super Useful Guide to Shinjuku, Tokyo

Shinjuku is one of the most popular areas in Tokyo to stay in, and visit, but, what’s there? Our Shinjuku Area Guide gives you an idea of what to expect, highlights the main things to do in Shinjuku, reveals some great places to eat and drink – and more.

Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

What’s Shinjuku All About?

While there’s a business side to Shinjuku, where tourists are concerned, Shinjuku’s USP is that it’s Tokyo’s entertainment area. It doesn’t have that many specific sights, you come here to soak up modern, buzzy Tokyo.

The station is one of the busiest in the world, the streets team with people, and your senses will be overloaded with bright lights and catchy songs from video screens. If you’re a city person, it’s fantastic.

Every 200 meters there’s a different shop, bar, restaurant, or club and the ground floor is only the beginning – Shinjuku’s buildings rise above you and each floor is crammed with more bars, restaurants – and, erm, entertainment venues of other kinds – some of them hopelessly confusing to anyone who doesn’t speak Japanese.

And presiding over it all is the answer I give when anyone asks me why I love Japan – a giant Godzilla. I just love the fact that not only did someone suggest this as a plan, but someone else said yes!

Where Is Shinjuku Located?

It’s located in western Tokyo. In its heart is the giant Shinjuku Station which sees an estimated 3.6 million people pass through it every day. The station divides Shinjuku into sides.

West Shinjuku is more businessy or family-friendly and includes sights like the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building and very popular hotels like the Keio Plaza Hotel or the Park Hyatt Tokyo (of Lost in Translation fame).

East Shinjuku is more gritty and boisterous. It includes the main entertainment areas of Omiedo Yokocho, Golden Gai, and Kabukicho, which is one of Tokyo’s red-light districts.

Just hearing that can put people off staying here, but, it’s not got the same vibe as a red light area in another country – the photo above is taken right in the middle of it. But our post on what to expect in Kabukicho explains what you might find if you are concerned about this.

Top 5 Things to See and Do in Shinjuku

Shinjuku doesn’t have that many major sites, just wandering around the streets is a sight in Shinjuku – you’ll always find something fun happening. But, as well as doing that, here are five things you should make sure you do/see in Shinjuku.

Samurai Restaurant

This is my new favorite thing in Shinjuku. I absolutely loved it.

Back in 2020, the Robot Restaurant was one of the hot tickets in town – the show was kitsch and garish and so no one cared that the word restaurant was used rather liberally – the food was pretty bad!

The Robot Restaurant did not survive the tourist shutdown, but the team has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes in the form of the Samurai Restaurant, which is just as cheesy!

If you want to see singing samurai, dancing girls, and girls riding demon-shaped floats (and why wouldn’t you), you’ll have a blast! Book online here or, you can also buy tickets direct from the venue in Kabukicho.

It’s not as hyped as the Robot Restaurant quite yet for two main reasons. The show is currently only in the afternoon, which may be when not too many tourists want to watch people riding giant demons. It’s held in an over-18-bar joint, which means children can’t attend—even though the show itself is PG.

Click to read our longer review – and see more pictures (I took over 200 of them, which is always a sign I’m having fun, but don’t worry, they aren’t all on there).

The Roaring Godzilla

Peeking over the top of the Hotel Gracery, Godzilla is such an important member of the Shinjuku community he even has a road named after him!

He surveys the area all day, but between 12-8 pm he also makes noise! Every hour on the hour, to the soundtrack of menacing music, he’ll emit a roar and some fire. It’s better to see it once the sun goes down to get the full effect.

If you’re staying in Hotel Gracery, or, if you buy a dish in the cafe – some of which are Godzilla-themed – you can get on the rooftop and see him close up. See more about that in our guide to Tokyo’s Godzilla sights.

He also now has his own manhole covers outside the cinema, which are fun to find.

Tokyo Metropolitan Building Observation Deck

Located 202 meters above Tokyo, it’s not my favorite viewpoint in Tokyo (see which one wins that prize) but its big selling point is that it’s free.

There are two towers in the complex, North and South, with slightly different opening days. Make sure you check these in advance. Also, note that the towers sometimes randomly close.

The first time I went up there, it was too crowded to take pictures and my feet hurt so I was grumpy – the second time, it was randomly closed after I schlepped there! They do announce closures on their Twitter (X) feed but it is in Japanese so you’ll need to use Google Translate. I finally got up there on attempt three!

From the end of February 2024, the Tower will also light up with projections at night. From 7-9pm they’ll run every half an hour for 10-15 minutes – the project is aiming to claim the record for the world’s biggest projection mapping and the images I’ve seen look very pretty so definitely add that to your plans for things to do in Shinjuku at night.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

If you need to escape the people and sensory overload for a little while or just want to see a pretty Japanese garden right in the middle of town, head to this open space on the southeastern side of Shinjuku.

The garden is also a good thing to do first thing in the morning when the rest of Shinjuku is still firmly asleep (see some more ideas for Tokyo in the morning here). It opens at 9 am, six mornings a week. It’s closed on a Monday and over the New Year’s holiday,

The garden is particularly pretty during cherry blossom season, but because this is also when it’s at its most popular, you might also need to make a booking to enter. See more on the garden website.

RELATED READ: If you are in Tokyo for cherry blossom season, take a look at our guide to some viewing sites that the locals love here.

The 3d Cat Billboard

She’s a social media star, and you’ll find her near the east exit of Shinjuku Station. This cute calico cat rolls around, makes adorable meowing sounds, and makes public service announcements wearing a policeman’s hat—why would you not go and see her?

She’s on all the time but is most active and chatty on the hour, 15, 30, and 45 minutes past.

Look for Cross Space Shinjuku on Google Maps to find the exact location.

Where to Eat in Shinjuku

You are not going to lack choice here – there are thousands of restaurants in Shinjuku with every type of cuisine on offer – you don’t need to book, or even plan for most of them, just see what you fancy and wander in. However, there are a few restaurants here you might want to seek out…

Shinjuku Kappo Nakajima

This is one of Tokyo’s many ‘budget’ restaurants with a Michelin Star. It specializes in dishes based around sardines – visit at lunch for the bargain set lunch.

Reservations for this aren’t accepted and you might have to queue. As the restaurant is small they don’t cater to small children and have no children’s menu.

See more on the Nakajima website.

Noka no Daidokoro

Despite the Japanese being one of the longest-living nations on earth, when you’re eating there as a tourist you can find your diet noticeably missing fresh vegetables – this is your answer. It’s a lunch buffet that’s heavy on the salad. It’s located on the 4th Floor. See more on their website.

Amusement Wanko Soba Kurukuru Wanko

Some restaurants in Shinjuka are all about quality, this is more about quantity – and fun. It serves small portions of soba noodles in bowls – and your job is to eat as many of them as you can in 40 minutes – 836 is the record! You can make a reservation here.

Zauo Fishing Restaurant

Want to catch your dinner? It’s possible in the Shinjuku branch of this popular chain.

Fish are swimming around a moat-like tank in the restaurant and you’re given a fishing rod to catch one. While you can aim to grab a certain type of fish, it’s a case of you catch it, you eat it!

Once you do catch a fish, the staff will ask you how you’d like it prepared – options include grilled, fried or raw as the freshest sashimi you’ll ever eat and it will be brought to your table later.

If you don’t want to fish, you can order straight off the menu. Reservations are strongly suggested.

Dandadan Shinjuku Sanchome

We stumbled on this place on our way back to our hotel, the Citadines Shinjuku, and decided to head in – and it did not disappoint.

Even though they do have an English menu, we were the only tourists in there and we had a great meal of dumplings, chicken wings, beansprouts, and an amazing coriander salad – and even stayed for ice cream!

They also have a branch in Kabukicho. Find the exact locations on Google Maps or the Dandadan website.

Drinking in Shinjuku

You’re surrounded by three of Tokyo’s biggest drinking areas in Shinjuku – Kabukicho, famous as a red light district, but also full of normal bars and restaurants (although do read our guide to Kabukicho before drinking here).

There’s also Golden Gai, a rabbit warren of small bars, many of them themed, located to the west of Kabukicho and Omiode Yokocho, aka Memory Lane, the atmospheric road of izakayas that you’ll have seen in a thousand Instagram shots.

4 Other Bars to Visit in Shinjuku

These are outside the main drinking areas, but they are where we go when we’re in Shinjuku.

St James, Kabukicho

It might seem strange to suggest you drink in an Irish bar in Japan, but, this has seats directly facing the street in Kabukicho, so the people-watching is fantastic. Just don’t steal my seat!

Cats in Boxes

Have you seen the viral video of John Maher making Anderson Cooper completely lose it with giggles on New Year’s Eve as he sat in a Tokyo bar full of cats? This is that bar.

New York Bar, Park Hyatt

The famous bar from Lost in Translation where Bill Murray first met Scarlett Johansson. The karaoke bar they went to is not in Shinjuku; it’s Karaoke Kan Shibuya.

Ippuku

If you don’t want to pay a seat fee in Tokyo, your solution is to visit one of Tokyo’s standing bars, and this was the first one we ever visited. It’s in the quieter (but still vibrant) drinking area in Shinjuku, I mention below.

Should You Stay in Shinjuku?

It’s listed as one of our best areas to stay in Tokyo for a reason – it’s fantastic for transport, easy to get to from the airport and, if you choose your hotel locations based on having things to do in the evening nearby (see our guide on choosing your perfect place stay in Japan for more on that) it scores very highly.

Fantastic hotels if you want to be right in the middle of everything are the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku – the one with Godzilla on the roof, or Hotel Groove Shinjuku which is on floors 18-38 of the new Kabukicho Tower. The rooms here start at 21 square metres, which is large for central Tokyo.

The Tower is also home to the 5-star Bellustar Tokyo, which is run by Pan Pacific and located on floors 39-47. The views here are incredible – you can even see Mount Fuji from some of them on a clear day.

The downside of staying in Shinjuku is that it’s busy, brash, and can be a bit overwhelming for your first days in Tokyo, especially if you’re trying to navigate Shinjuku Station.

As mentioned, Kabukicho and nearby Okubo are also red-light districts, so, they might not be the best choice for some people – although this is easily avoided by booking hotels in West Shinjuku like the popular Keio Plaza Hotel, which is very popular with families or The Knot: Tokyo Shinjuku which is great for couples.

Or go a little further east within Shinjuku, I usually stay at the Citadines Shinjuku which is about a 10-minute walk away from the busy-ness, but close enough to the action for me to head to Shinjuku at night. The rooms in this apartment hotel have a little bit more space than elsewhere in Tokyo, they even have a mini kitchen.

You’ll find other Shinjuku hotel suggestions in our guide to hotels in Tokyo with spacious rooms.

My Top Tips for Visiting or Staying in Shinjuku

Shinjuku Station is very busy so if you do stay here, I’d suggest mostly using a smaller metro station closer to your hotel (if there is one) when you can.

When you do use Shinjuku Station, make sure you know which exit is closest to your hotel or the sight you need to visit and follow the directions to it to get out of the station. If you come out of the wrong exit, you could easily be a kilometer away from your hotel, and the tall buildings in Shinjuku can sometimes play havoc with maps.

If you forget something or have jetlag and want to do something rather than sit in your room, the giant Don Quixote Store in Shinjuku is open 24 hours a day.

If you’re staying in east Shinjuku and don’t want to go to Kabukicho or Golden Gai in the evening, there’s a smaller drinking and dining area south, east of Kabukicho that’s a bit more chilled. Suehirotei, a performing arts theatre, is a good marker on the map.

If you’re a single male traveler, you will get hassled in the backstreets of Kabukicho – if that’s going to annoy you, then keep away from the area around the APA Kabukicho.

Never follow a tout into a bar in Kabukicho. It’s very likely to lead to you being hugely overcharged.

So, that’s our guide to spending some time in Shinjuku, if you have any further questions about sightseeing, dining, or sleeping in this fun area, pop over to our Facebook Group and we can answer them.

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