Neon-filled
Shinjuku is where Tokyo goes to have fun
With
the dubious distinction of being home to the busiest train station in the
world, Shinjuku has so much to offer. From modern high rises to green oases,
it's a mecca for shopping, eating and relaxing.
How
to Get There
Twelve
separate lines run through Shinjuku Station, including the JR Yamanote Line.
Shinjuku
is at nine o'clock on the JR Yamanote Line, on the fashionable western side of
the city (alongside Shibuya, Yoyogi, and Harajuku). Other lines, above and
below ground, pass through Shinjuku. It is also a major stop for highway buses
feeding into Tokyo from the rest of Japan.
Getting
your bearings
Shinjuku
Station is officially the busiest transport hub in the world. When it was
registered by Guinness World Records in 2007, an average 3.64 million people
used Shinjuku Station per day.
With
36 platforms, over 200 exits and another 17 platforms in five directly
connected stations, it is labyrinthine. Never be so casual as to suggest
meeting someone "outside Shinjuku Station": JR, Keio, Odakyu, Toei,
Tokyo Metro and Seibu all have stations within the Shinjuku Station complex,
which also boasts underground malls, restaurants and cafes. Shinjuku is defined
by its station.
More
than a transport hub
As
a result of all this human traffic, Shinjuku caters to all tastes and desires.
Major
department stores including Isetan, Takashimaya, Keio, and Odakyu have flagship
stores in Shinjuku. Kinokuniya Bookstore, Tokyu Hands, Bic Camera, Yodobashi
and Labi all have a huge presence right in front of the station.
There
are thousands of stores in the immediate vicinity, and if you stroll in any
direction from the station, there are thousands more shops, restaurants, bars,
clubs and movie theaters. Shinjuku has everything you want and much you didn't
know you needed.
Pink
lights, nightlife and 24-hour party people
Kabukicho is where the party
happens. Often called the town that doesn't sleep, more accurately, it passes
out for a couple of hours late morning.
Despite
its sometimes sleazy reputation, it is a must-see destination for young people
and foreign visitors and is becoming more family-friendly. With over 4,000
bars, restaurants, clubs and convenience stores, there is a lot to choose from
in such a small area. Oddities like the Robot Restaurant , a giant Godzilla, the
Samurai Museum and Thermae-Yu baths have made it a popular attraction. Golden
Gai, Hanazono Jinja, and even Koreatown keep people coming back for more.
Not
all fun and games
Shinjuku
is also home to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building (Tocho), which
dominates the skyline. Even among the rest of the towers of south Shinjuku,
Tocho stands tall. The views from the free observation decks are stunning, and
they stay open until 11:00 p.m.
Fit
for an emperor
Amid
the steel, concrete, and chaos, with millions of people shuffling through each
day, Shinjuku
Gyoen garden is almost a
dreamlike aberration. It's a well-kept secret, and outside of cherry blossom
season and the turning of the leaves in fall, it is a tranquil escape from the
neon and noise.
Emperor
Hirohito (1901-1989), who was the last person in the imperial family to have
experienced the garden as a "personal" garden, loved it so much that
his funeral was held in a special ceremony here.
The
many flowers, carefully manicured trees, the classic Japanese Garden, pagodas
and Taiwanese Pavilion, the verdant greenhouse, as well as the mix of French
formal and British landscape styles, all are designed to convey joy and peace
to stressed urbanites.
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