Stand at the Southern Terrace exit of Shinjuku Station and the promenade opens in front of you: a walkway with a view of the Takashimaya department store and a bridge where trains slide in and out of the platforms below. It is one of the easiest places in Tokyo to understand how the city stacks itself, with the station at the base and the towers of Nishi-Shinjuku rising behind it.
Shinjuku suits travellers who want a base with range: gardens and shrines in the morning, department stores and observatories in the afternoon, and narrow bar streets after dark. It also suits anyone who prefers to walk between districts rather than ride between them, since the station area, the park, the government towers and the entertainment districts sit within a stretch of each other.
It closes with a one-day plan built only from the places listed below.
1. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A large public garden about a ten-minute walk east from JR Shinjuku station, combining Japanese, English and French garden styles, with a Taiwanese teahouse and a greenhouse. It is one of the most popular places in Tokyo for viewing cherry blossoms in spring.
Opening hours run 09:00–16:30, extended to 18:00 from mid-March to June and mid-August to September, and to 19:00 from July to mid-August. It is closed Mondays with some exceptions and over the New Year holiday, and admission ends 30 minutes before closing. The entrance fee keeps the park surprisingly uncrowded and peaceful, so it works well as a slow start to a day before you head into the busier districts.
2. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center
Two enormous buildings in Nishi-Shinjuku, reached from Metro Tochōmae station, designed by architect Kenzo Tange. The main reason to come is the twin observatories on the 45th floor, at a height of 202 m, which offer some of the best views of Tokyo. Entry is free and last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
The North Observatory is open daily 09:30–23:00, closed the second and fourth Mondays of each month. The South Observatory is open daily 09:30–17:30, until 23:00 on days the North Observatory is closed, and closed the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Adjacent to the government buildings, the NS Building holds the largest pendulum clock in the world, Guinness-certified, in its full-height atrium, with cafes and fast food on the ground level and restaurants on the 29th floor.
3. Shinjuku Southern Terrace
A promenade across from the South Exit of Shinjuku Station, closest to the Southern Terrace exit. It offers a view of the Takashimaya department store and a bridge that is the best spot for watching trains enter and exit the station. Starbucks, Shake Shack and other restaurants line the area.
Come here when you want a break that still shows you the scale of the station. It pairs naturally with a walk into the surrounding streets, and it is a sensible first stop if you have just arrived and want to get your bearings before committing to a district.
4. Hanazono Shrine
A shrine near the intersection of Meiji-dori and Yasukuni-dori, more remarkable for its location than its appearance, and a nice place to take a breather between the surrounding commercial streets. There is often a flea market in the surrounding park on weekends.
Because it sits where the busy roads meet, it works best as a short pause rather than a destination in itself. Time it for a weekend if the flea market interests you, and combine it with a walk through the nearby entertainment districts.
5. Golden Gai
An area of tiny shanty-style bars and clubs east of Kabukichō, where musicians, artists, journalists, actors and directors used to gather. The small scale is the point: the block is made up of narrow bars rather than large venues.
Go in the evening, when the bars are the reason to be there, and treat it as a place to wander and choose a door rather than to plan a fixed route. It sits close enough to the rest of East Shinjuku that you can fold it into the same evening as the surrounding districts.
6. Kabukichō
The red-light district east of the station, renowned for its variety of bars, restaurants and sex-related establishments near Seibu-Shinjuku Station. For people-watching, the large square in front of the station's Kabukichō entrance is the place to be.
It is perfectly safe to walk around during the day and take in the photo billboards and the street life. The source notes that it probably should not be done with children, but that for adults the result is far more cultural interest than sleaze.
7. Shinjuku Ni-chōme
Tokyo's best-known gay district, part of East Shinjuku. It sits in the same cluster of districts as Kabukichō and Golden Gai, so it is easy to include on an evening walk through the area.
Pair it with the other East Shinjuku districts rather than treating it as a separate trip, and go after dark when the district is at its liveliest.
8. Shinjuku-sanchōme and the related red-light districts
The districts east of the station, which you can walk through during the day to see the photo billboards of escorts on offer and the street life around them. As with Kabukichō, the source describes the experience for adults as more cultural interest than sleaze.
This is daytime wandering rather than a scheduled stop, and it combines naturally with Hanazono Shrine, Golden Gai and Ni-chōme in a single loop east of the station.
9. Tokyo Opera City
A building complex with a skyscraper, reached by taking the Keio New Line subway to Hatsudai station. It houses the New National Theatre Tokyo, concert halls, two art museums — one specialising in multimedia art — along with many shops and restaurants.
This is the pick if you want a cultural evening rather than a bar evening. Check what is on before you go, since the theatres and museums are the reason to make the trip.
10. Fire Museum
In Yotsuya, just outside Yotsuya sanchome station, with three fire-fighting helicopters, ten trucks and three floors of exhibitions. It is very popular with kids, who can wear fire-fighting clothes and ride some of the helicopters and trucks. Entry is free.
It is open 09:30–17:00 and closed on Mondays. Combine it with the Tokyo Toy Museum, which is also in Yotsuya and a short walk from Yotsuya sanchome station, to make a family half-day of the area.
11. Tokyo Toy Museum
Housed in an old school in Yotsuya, three minutes' walk from Yotsuya sanchome station, filled with toys and fun small houses. Accompanying adults will not get bored, thanks to the variety of toys on offer.
It is open 10:00–16:00 and closed on Thursdays, with admission at ¥500 per child and ¥700 per adult. Pair it with the Fire Museum nearby, and note that both are closed on different days, so check which day you are going.
12. Suga Shrine
A small shrine at 5-6 Sugacho, open 10:00–17:00, with free entry. The stairs in front of it are famous as the background in the animated film Your Name.
It is a short stop rather than a half-day, so build it into a walk through the surrounding area rather than making a special journey for it alone.
13. Japan National Stadium
At 10-1 Kasumigaoka, completed in 2019 as the main stadium for the Summer Games Tokyo 2020. It is a stop for anyone interested in the venue itself or in catching an event there.
Check what is scheduled before you go, since the stadium is the draw when something is on. It sits in the same Kasumigaoka area as Meiji Jingu Stadium, so the two can be seen on one outing.
14. Meiji Jingu Stadium
At 3-1 Kasumigaoka, reached by taking the Sobu Line to Sendagaya station, and known as Jingu Stadium. You can see university and professional baseball games here, and it is also famous as a stadium for the Tokyo qualifying round of the National High School Baseball Tournament.
This is an evening or afternoon depending on the fixture, so check the schedule. It pairs with the Japan National Stadium, which is in the same area.
15. Karaokekan
A large chain of karaoke shops with various locations, including one a minute's walk from Seibu-Shinjuku station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line, or a five-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station. Rooms are available from one person up to a large party, and all-you-can-drink set menus are available.
It is the simplest late-night option in the area, and it works whether you are a group or on your own, since single-person rooms are offered.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Shinjuku Southern Terrace, arriving via the Southern Terrace exit, and take in the view of the Takashimaya department store and the bridge over the tracks. Walk east to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and spend the rest of the morning among the Japanese, English and French gardens, the Taiwanese teahouse and the greenhouse. Remember that admission ends 30 minutes before closing.
Afternoon. Head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center in Nishi-Shinjuku and go up to one of the twin observatories on the 45th floor for the view over Tokyo. While you are in the building complex, look in on the NS Building next door and its full-height atrium, which holds the largest pendulum clock in the world. If time allows, walk to Hanazono Shrine near the intersection of Meiji-dori and Yasukuni-dori for a quiet pause.
Evening. Move into East Shinjuku and walk through Kabukichō, using the large square in front of the station's Kabukichō entrance for people-watching. Continue to Golden Gai for its tiny bars, then pass through Shinjuku Ni-chōme and the Shinjuku-sanchōme area. Finish with a room at Karaokekan, a short walk from the station.
When is the best time to see cherry blossoms in Shinjuku?
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is one of the most popular places in Tokyo for viewing cherry blossoms in spring. Note that the garden's closing time changes through the year, and admission ends 30 minutes before closing.
Are the observatories at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center free?
Yes. Entry to the twin observatories on the 45th floor is free, and last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The North Observatory is closed the second and fourth Mondays of each month, and the South Observatory is closed the first and third Tuesdays.
Can I visit the Fire Museum and the Tokyo Toy Museum on the same day?
They are both in Yotsuya near Yotsuya sanchome station, so they can be combined. Check the days carefully: the Fire Museum is closed on Mondays and the Tokyo Toy Museum is closed on Thursdays.
Is it safe to walk around Kabukichō during the day?
The source states it is perfectly safe to walk around the district during the day. It adds that it probably should not be done with children, but that for adults the experience is more cultural interest than sleaze.
Decide which of these you want at the centre of your trip, check the closing days that affect it, and start building your Shinjuku days around that.