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Shinjuku
From
dazzlingly modern skyscrapers and a newly built opera district to
crowded discount shops and pubs in back alleys, Shinjuku has everything.
JR Shinjuku Station is said to be the busiest station in the world
with 760 thousand passengers boarding trains daily. Early on a weekday
morning is the best time to view the plight of the Tokyo commuter.
Shinjuku is Tokyo's western terminal and the starting point for
Odakyu Railway services to Hakone, a mountainous hot-spring resort
with a beautiful lake. East of the station is a traditional shopping
and entertainment district. To the west of the station lies Nishi-Shinjuku.
This area was virtually empty until the late 1960s, but now hosts
the biggest concentration of high-rise buildings inJapan. Several
buildings have observation floors and most have restaurants on their
upper levels, affording some of the most spectacular night time
views in the city. Between the station and the skyscrapers lies
an area devoted to cut-price cameras, electrlcal goods and computers.
In 1698, Shinjuku was made the first post town along the Koshu Kaido,
the highway designated for travelers heading northwest out of Tokyo.
Reminders ofthe past include shrines, festivals, and Oiwake Dango,
the very dumpling shop that catered to feudal travelers.
Shinjuku Gyoen
Map 8-C3
Tokyo has more than 5000 parks within the centraI 23 wards, many
with just a bench and a water fountain, but Shnjuku Gyoen is arguably
the best park of all. The carefully pruned premises include English
and French gardens. The park is especially spectacular when its
1500 cherry trees boom at the beginning of April and the chrysanthemums
open in early November. Tea and sweet cakes are served in a pavilion.
Open 9:00-16:00 except Mon (but open Mon during cherry and chrysanthemum
season) and late Dec-early Jan. Admission 200yen. 5 min walk from
subway Shinjuku-gyoenmae Stn or Shinjuku Sanchome Stn.
Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Office Map 8-A2
The offices were relocated from Yurakucho to this cathedral-like
edifice in 1991. The building was the work of pre-eminent postwar
Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. It rises 48 f1oors, splitting at
the 33rd story into symmetrical towers that rise to 243 meters.
The public observation decks on the 45th floor, reached by elevator
in 55 seconds, have now superseded Tokyo Tower as the premier location
from which to survey the entire sprawling metropolis. On clear days,
especially in winter, the TMGO offers brilliant views of Yokohama
to the southwest and Mt. Fuji to the west.
Open 9:30-17:O0, 9:30-19:00 weekends and pubic holidays. Closed
Mon (except if public holiday) and late Dec-early Jan.
Admission is free.
Near subway Tocho mae Stn or 10min walk from JR/subway Shinjuku
Stn.
Kabukicho, Tokyo's Premier
Red Light District Map 8-C1
Shinjuku
has always had a reputation as one of Tokyo's pleasure quarters.
After the Second World War, plans to build a kabuki theater never
materialized but the name stuck, and Kabukicho's neon-lighted streets
continue to uphold a reputation for some of the most unfettered
nightlife in the city. The area also boasts countless restaurants
with excellent examples of virtually every Asian cuisine, and bars
of every size and description.
Tokyo Opera City Map
8-A3
Located southwest of Nishi-Shinjuku Tokyo Opera City opened in 1996
and consists of the New National Theatre and the Tokyo Opera City
Tower building. The impressive New National Theatre is an airy structure
housing three performance spaces. The 54-story Opera City Building
has three concert halls. On the 4th to 6th floors is NTT Inter-Communication
Center (ICC), an innovative museum run by Japan's Iargest telecom
firm. Exhibits include highly advanced technologies.
Admisson 800yen.
Open 10:00-18:00, 10:00-21:00 on Fri. Last entry 30 min before closing
time.
Closed Mon, late Dec early Jan and a few days each year for maintenance.
Takashimaya Times Square
Map8-B3
Just minutes away from Shinjuku Station at the end of a moving walkway,
Takashimaya Times Square is a massive shopping/entertainment/dining
complex. Pride of place goes to Takashimaya, one of Tokyo's Iargest
department stores. The complex also houses a popular lifestyle and
DlY store, and an annex is occupied by a bookstore. The top three
floors are devoted to leisure activities: Tokyo lmax Theater is
the first large-screen 3D movie theater in Japan. Hungry? Choose
from more than 30 reasonably priced restaurants and cafes.
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