Shinjuku: what is there, what to book for the evening, and where to stay

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Shinjuku is the district around Shinjuku Station. By day the two things most worth your time are close to the station and cheap: a free view from the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Shinjuku Gyoen, a large garden that costs 500 yen. In the evening, people come for the small bars and food stalls of Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai.

It suits you if you want to be out late and walk back to your hotel. It suits you less if you want quiet evenings. Hours, prices and conditions below are from the operators’ own pages and from each Klook page, with the date I checked.

What is there

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation decks Map · Directions

Two decks on the 45th floor, 202 metres up. Entry is free and there is no booking; the building says to expect a 20 to 30 minute queue. The South deck is open 9:30 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30) and closes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. The North deck is open 9:30 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00), stays open to 22:00 on days the South deck is closed, and closes on the 2nd and 4th Monday. Both close 29–31 December and 2–3 January. Mount Fuji is to the west; the building says December to February gives the most days you can see it. Tripods are not allowed. Sudden closures for bad weather are announced on the building’s X account, @tocho_tenbou.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Map · Directions

Opens at 9:00. From 1 October to 14 March it closes at 16:30 (last entry 16:00); from 15 March to 30 September at 18:00, and from 11 June to 31 July at 19:00. Admission is 500 yen, 250 yen for over-65s and students, free for junior high school age and under. You can pay at the gate with an IC card such as Suica. Closed on Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a holiday) and 29 December to 3 January, but open every day from 25 March to 24 April and 1 to 15 November. Coin lockers at the Shinjuku, Okido and Sendagaya gates.

Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai

Two areas of very small bars and eateries. I have not found an official page for either, so this page gives no hours for them; they are here because all three tours below go through them. Omoide Yokocho Map · Directions; Golden Gai Map · Directions.

Getting there

• From Narita or Haneda Airport: routes, times and fares are compared in Narita or Haneda into Tokyo: five routes.
• To the Metropolitan Government Building: about 10 minutes’ walk from the west gate of JR Shinjuku Station, or use Tochomae Station on the Toei Oedo Line.

Things worth booking ahead

The view and the garden need no booking. What is worth booking is a guide for the evening, because the bars are small, menus are often in Japanese and a group of strangers is easier with someone who knows the places. These are three of the most-reviewed Shinjuku tours on Klook’s list for the area (a fourth, a food tour almost the same as the one below, is left out). The prices do not cover the same things, so compare the second column first. Prices and review counts are as shown in Klook’s list for the area on 17 October 2026; what each price covers is from each tour’s own Klook page.

If you want one evening that covers dinner, take the food tour: its price includes the food. If you want to drink and meet people, the bar crawl is cheaper to book but you pay for everything you eat and drink. If you only want to understand the area before going out on your own, the walking tour is the cheapest and runs through the day.

Local bar & izakaya crawl

• Starts at Kitakata Ramen Bannai in Omoide Yokocho (1-2-8 Nishi-Shinjuku) Map · Directions, walks Omoide Yokocho, has dinner in Kabukicho, then drinks in Golden Gai or Kabukicho, sometimes with karaoke. It usually ends in Kabukicho.
• The price covers the English or Japanese-speaking guide only. Dinner and alcohol are not included.
• Ages 20 and over; bring ID. Not recommended during pregnancy. The guide contacts you on WhatsApp.
• The page gives two different starting times (a choice of 18:00, 19:00 or 20:00, and elsewhere 18:00 at weekends and 20:00 on weekdays). Go by the time shown when you book.
• Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before. No refund if you are late or do not come.
• See the bar crawl on Klook

Food tour, 4 eateries

• Meets in front of the AOKI shop next to the Starbucks at Shinjuku Station’s west side (1-12-1 Nishi-Shinjuku), about 5 minutes’ walk from the Keio West Exit Map · Directions. Goes through Nishi-Shinjuku, Kabukicho and Golden Gai, and ends at Shinjuku Station at 20:00.
• Food and drinks at four places are included: a stall, an izakaya, a traditional eatery and a gastrobar. The title says 15 dishes and the description says 13.
• Same price for all ages; children 3 to 12 must come with a paying adult. Alcohol is for ages 20 and over, with ID. Not wheelchair-accessible. Tell them about food allergies in advance.
• Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before. No refund if you are late or do not come.
• See the food tour on Klook

Historical walking tour

• Meets at the police box outside JR Shinjuku Station’s East Exit (3-38-1 Shinjuku), where a guide holds a “Local Guide Stars” sign Map · Directions. Route: Omoide Yokocho, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, Kabukicho, Golden Gai, Hanazono Shrine, and back to the start.
• Seven departures a day, every two hours from 9:00 to 21:00. Arrive 15 minutes early. Groups of 1 to 10.
• Includes the guide and one drink from a vending machine. Tips are not included. There is a lot of walking and stairs.
• Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before.
• See the walking tour on Klook

Where to stay

One reason to stay here: after an evening in Golden Gai or Kabukicho you can walk back. One reason not to: those same streets are busy and loud late at night. The hotels below are the six closest to Golden Gai among the ones Klook lists first for the area, two in each price band. Prices are for one room for two people for one night, on the date shown; Klook shows each hotel for a different date, so treat them as a rough guide, not a comparison. Read on 17 October 2026.

Facts, dates and sources