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The Shinjuku Godzilla Head
It’s the biggest, the loudest, and the most fun of our sights and, even if you’re not a huge Godzilla fan you shouldn’t miss the chance to see him at least from a distance.
The giant Godzilla head is located on top of the Shinjuku Gracery Hotel in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku. Most of the day, he just peeks over the top of the building quietly – but between noon and 8 pm, speakers will start blaring some menacing stompy monster music, and, our scaly friend lets out a few roars – complete with laser bolts from his eyes and, erm, firey breath.
The 52-metre tall head appeared on the building in 2015 and he is officially a tourism ambassador for Shinjuku.
Godzilla Terrace
While most people just view the Godzilla head from below, if you’re a guest of the Shinjuku Gracery Hotel, or, if you visit the cafe on the 8th floor where the Godzilla head lives, you can also go out onto the terrace and get up close to Godzilla.
This allows for many fun monster-escaping photos, but when we were there, we also discovered that Godzilla has a little secret. There’s a little panel on his side, and if you rub it, he roars, just for you.
I haven’t had the chance to get back to the terrace for a while, so that might have been disabled, but if you do see a slightly strange-looking panel on the side of the monster’s neck, give it a rub, just in case.
April 2024 update: You can’t currently walk out onto the terrace for safety reasons, so please check with the cafe before ordering if that’s the reason for your visit.
Godzilla Cafe
As I said, one way to get onto Godzilla Terrace is to visit the Cafe Terrace Bonjour, and they can have Godzilla-shaped treats on the menu. The day I went, this chocolate Godzilla and cake platter cost 1800 yen.
The cafe now also has seats out on the Terrace right near the Godzilla head. It’s open from 11 am to 6.30 pm, giving you a front-row seat to the hourly roaring.
April 2024 note: As with the Terrace itself, the outside cafe seats are currently off-limits.
The Godzilla Hotel Rooms
If you’re a Godzilla Mega-fan this is going to be your dream vacation spot.
The Hotel Gracery has two types of Godzilla-themed hotel rooms.
The Godzilla Room
This is a one-off and is decorated with a giant clawed foot, Godzilla posters, and special Godzilla effects in the bathroom – plus it comes with Godzilla goodies.
The room sleeps two in twin beds and is 32 square meters wide.
You can only reserve the room directly from the Hotel Gracery website, and it does get booked up, so be flexible and try to book it as soon as you know your available dates. The best way to check availability is to use the Vacancy Calendar, which shows all the free dates and the room price (note that it is per person, not per room—the actual price is double that).
I’m writing this in mid-February, and dates until the end of May are currently available for booking—and about 50 per cent of them are free.
There is a premium for staying in the room – it’s about 4-5 times more than a normal room for the same dates.
See more about how to book the room here.
The Godzilla View Room
Six of these rooms have a window that looks directly onto the Godzilla statue – which means you get a front view of the show eight times a day! Okay, so that is the selling point, but remember, you can’t switch him off.
These rooms are closer to the price of a normal room at the Gracery and about half the cost of the Godzilla Room. They are smaller, though—just 18 square meters—and even though they sleep up to two, the bed is on the small side.
Check room rates and availability here.
Godzilla Road Sign
The road leading up to Hotel Gracery from Shinjuku Station is called Godzilla Road, and at the top of the street, you can get a fun photo of the neon sign with his scaliness in the background.
Also make sure that when you walk down it towards the cinema you look at the ground.
There are now two Godzilla-themed manhole covers on the floor outside the cinema.
Did You Know?
Godzilla is an amalgamation of the words gorilla, and kujira (whale in Japanese). Because there is no l sound in Japanese, it’s pronounced go ji ra locally.
Godzilla is an official Japanese citizen. He was granted his citizenship in April 2015, around the same time as he got his job as a tourism ambassador. So, he might be destructive, but at least he’s legal.
He’s still growing. When Godzilla first appeared in Tokyo he was 164 feet tall, by 2014 he was 354 feet, but in Godzilla vs Kong he’s 390 feet – considering Tokyo just opened an even taller building for him to tower over, he might get even bigger soon!
The Ginza Godzilla
While the Shinjuku statue is the biggest Godzilla in Tokyo, it’s not the only one – there are two more.
The next biggest is found close to Hibiya Station close to Toho Cinema’s Chanter. It’s probably not worth traveling across Tokyo for, but, if you’re in the area, pop along and say hi!
This statue replaced an even smaller one which now found at the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya mall directly opposite his new supersized buddy.
The Godzilla Shop
While you’ll find Godzilla-themed merchandise all over Tokyo, there’s a dedicated retail temple to him at Marui Annex, 3 Chome-1 Shinjuku-, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan – the first shop in the world specifically dedicated to him.
The items at the Godzilla shop are all modern, and often related to the latest film tie-in, but if you’re looking for something a bit more unique, head to Godzilla-ya in the Koneji area of Tokyo which has all manner of collectible figures – including older Godzilla figures.
The owner also has a bar upstairs, called Godzilla-ya-2 which has a few figures as part of the decor.
The Godzilla That Sees You Naked
The Akebonoyu sento in Askausa is a local public bath perfect for soaking away any aches and pains—but as you sit there, you might get a feeling that you’re being watched. However, it’s not one of the local ladies soaking in the bath with you, but the big mural of Godzilla peering over the top of the partition.
Onsen and Sento have a tradition of mural paintings to give people something to ponder over while they soak, and in this sense, one of the bathing areas have a mural of Godzilla peeking over Mount Fuji, with Senso-ji temple in the foreground.
Sadly, because photos are banned in public baths, I can’t show you him – you’ll just have to go and see him yourself.
RELATED READ: Using a sento comes with the same etiquette as using an onsen. If you’re not quite sure what to do take a look at our guide to using an onsen in Japan.
The Godzilla Tile
This is the one Godzilla sight on this list that I still haven’t seen – although, I’m making it a mission on my next trip. On platform one of the Yamanote Line at Shinagawa Station is a tile commemorating Godzilla’s first moment on Tokyo soil where he destroyed the nearby Yatsuyama Bridge.
Admittedly, it does look a little bit more like something from Jurassic Park than Godzilla, but, we’ll go with it.
So there you have it. 9 places to spot Godzilla in Tokyo – which ones are you going to add to your itinerary?
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Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
