As things turned out yesterday evening, I got my very own private tour of Shinjuku & Kabukicho when a few sloppy tourists didn’t pitch for the walkabout. It was just me and my guide Mr. Mamoru Shinjuku putting foot to pavement in yet another vast Tokyo district. Let’s begin with the station shall we? 3 million people traipse through it every day (13 million people walk the streets of Tokyo daily!). The Shinjuku area is known as the new centre of Tokyo with various rail lines converging here, enormous upmarket department stores (like Isetan), spectacularly designed government buildings (like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices), blinding streetside neon displays, parks, gardens, a string of tiny bars in the narrow alleyways of Golden Gai and of course the famous entertainment area, Kabukicho (best not to go alone) – it’s a red light district, gaming (pachinko) parlour destination, karaoke bar hangout and there’s even a Memory Lane there, very quaint.
The tour starts at 17:30 giving the opportunity to capture amazing buildings – this one is the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, designed by Tange Associates.
Streetside neon…
Impressive buildings, and lovely street lamps…
Hanazono- jinja, a Shinto shrine
Kabukincho…
Golden Gai, 6 alleyways crammed with about 200 bars…