Tokyo · Japan
Shinjuku travel guide
Shinjuku is a city in Tokyo, Japan, home to about 349,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- HND18 km · Tokyo Haneda International Airport
- Currency
- JPYyen
- Time zone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Language
- Japanese
About
About Shinjuku
Shinjuku, officially called Shinjuku City, is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo.
The west side of Shinjuku, a seismically stable area that escaped the last earthquake with nary a scratch, is Tokyo's skyscraper district featuring (among others) the gargantuan Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices and the curved form and webbed façade of the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower. The east side of Shinjuku is devoted to shopping and nightlife, including Tokyo's largest red-light district Kabukichō (歌舞伎町) and gay nightlife central Shinjuku ni-chōme (新宿２丁目).
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Shinjuku
See
- Fire Museum
- Hanazono Shrine
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
- Shinjuku-sanchōme and related red-light districts to the east of the station
- Shinjuku Southern Terrace
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center
- Tokyo Opera City
- Tokyo Toy Museum
- Suga Shrine
Do
- Japan National Stadium
- Meiji Jingu Stadium
- Karaokekan
- Club on the Park Spa
- Shinjuku Piccadilly
- Wald 9
- Cinem@rt Shinjuku
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Shinjuku
Shinjuku has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; September is the wettest, with about 200 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Shinjuku: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), about 18 km from the city centre in a straight line; Narita International Airport (NRT, 62 km) and Ibaraki Airport (IBR, 84 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The fastest way to reach Shinjuku from Narita Airport is to take the Keisei Skyliner train and change at Nippori to the JR Yamanote Line (which can be very crowded at peak hours, making it inconvenient to haul luggage). This takes approximately 65-80 minutes with transfer and costs ¥2780. JR's Narita Express offers a one-seat ride to Shinjuku, but it takes longer (95 minutes) and costs more (¥3250), although for foreigners the cost can be brought down to ¥2500 each way by purchasing a N'EX Tokyo Round-Trip Ticket.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
HND · Tokyo Haneda International Airport
NRT · Narita International Airport
IBR · Ibaraki Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Shinjuku
Eat
A great way to get by in Tokyo on a budget is to make lunch your main meal. Many restaurants cater to the business lunch crowd and offer an excellent two or three course meal for between ¥800-1300 or lunch buffet for ¥1000-2000. Going to the same places for dinner would be up to three times more expensive. Shinjuku has more than 5,000 eateries, the most among the 23 special wards of Tokyo.
Drink
The Kabukichō (歌舞伎町) district, to the northeast of JR Shinjuku station, is Tokyo's most notorious red-light district - although during the daytime you might not even notice, especially if you can't decode the elaborate Japanese codewords on the billboards. At night it's a different story though, as sharkskin-suited junior yakuza gangsters hustle and girls in miniskirts beckon customers amid the adults-only vending machines. Night or day, it's always packed with people, and quite a bit of gangland violence used to take place in the vicinity (though at any rate outsiders are generally not involved). To the south of Kabukichō is Shinjuku Ni-chome (新宿２丁目), Tokyo's largest gay district.
Stay safe
To the untrained eye the flashy neon signage of the red light district of Kabukichō looks little different from any other eating and drinking district. Beware of touts on the street. Do not follow them even if they appear friendly or persistent. They will lure you to bars where you are charged an exorbitant cover charged and grossly inflated prices for drinks. Some travellers even reported that those bars placed drugs in their drinks to leave you in vulnerable state while the staff takes your wallet and charge thousands of dollars on your debit and credit cards. If a Japanese tout approaches you, just respond with Daijōbu desu. (大丈夫です。) and they will usually leave you alone after that.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Shinjuku: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Shinjuku?
Shinjuku has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 32 °C; September is the wettest, with about 200 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Shinjuku?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), about 18 km from the city centre in a straight line; Narita International Airport (NRT, 62 km) and Ibaraki Airport (IBR, 84 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Shinjuku?
yen (JPY).
Nearby
Destinations near Shinjuku
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.