Tokyo Stroll Supplement: Shinjuku Ku

This page indexes, contains corrections and has additions to Shinjuku Ku, Tokyo.
Related pages for specific neighborhoods/areas exist for: the Kagurazaka Area, Shinjuku Station Area, Takadanobaba / Waseda University Area, and Yotsuya

For information on Tokyo Stroll and this web supplement see Tokyo Stroll Supplement home page

For users of the Organic Maps, Maps.Me and Google Maps apps the items below have bookmarks you can import into those apps to make navigation easier.
Instructions and links are on the Viewing Locations in Organic Maps, Maps.Me, Google Maps, or Google Earth page.

Some entries on this page may include a note that says "Description to be added soon ." These entries are for items I felt should be listed even if the description is not ready to assist those who wish to plan a trip. When possible I included a link to an official web page, I suggest also doing web searchs for more information.

Official pages for each of the ku of Tokyo will have sections of interest to visitors. These will likely be labeled as dealing with culture, tourism, or events.
Shinjuku-ku official site: https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/index.html

AiiRO CAFE
[Located in the Shinjuku Nichōme neighborhood]

A scholar of Japanese religion, who I follow on social media, collects information about torii around the world. She recently posted about the torii in front of the AiiRO CAFE. So of course I have to include the cafe on this page. The bar was originally the Advocates Café and originally opened in 2000. Their web page states that they are popular with tourists and foreigners, some English is spoken. On weekends the crowd spills out onto the street.
WEB:: http://aliving.net/aiirocafe/

Atagi Jinja (赤城神社)

Founded in 1300, moved to the present location in the 16th century, Atagi Jinja became a major shrine in the Edo Period. This is a branch shrine for the one on Mt. Akagi in Gunma Prefecture. The kami enshrined here is the guardian for the local area. Major renovations of the shrine were completed in 2010 with a modern design by Kengo Kuma which incorporates glass into the wooden structure and an apartment complex on the grounds. There is a cafe which is closed every Tuesday and second Monday. There is an open air market held once a month on a weekend selling mostly original works by the creators. NOTE: All commercial photography is prohibited without permission, that includes YouTube videos. Also do not take pictures with your back to the shrine, in the shrine, or anyplace that will disturb visitors.
WEB:
Shrine: http://www.akagi-jinja.jp/
Cafe: https://www.akagi-cafe.jp
Market: http://akagimarche.blogspot.com

Bishamonten Zenkokuji (毘沙門天　善國寺)

A Nichiren temple founded 1595 on land granted by Tokugawa Ieyasu in what is now Chiyoda-ku to house a statue of Bishamonten. The temple was damaged by fire in 1670, as well as in the Kyōhō (1716-1736) and Kansei (1789-1801 eras. The temple was relocated to the present location in 1792. The neighborhood was destroyed in the fire bombings of WWII and the temple was rebuilt in 1946. In 2007 Zenkokuji was featured in the TV drama "Haikei, Chichiue-sama" which stared Ninomiya Kazunari of the boy band Arashi, for this reason one may find ema with inscriptions related to the band. Zenkokuji is on the Yamanote Seven Lucky Gods Tour, While the tour is a traditional New Year's activity you can do it at other times of the year. You can purchase a small statue of Bishamonten here as you do the tour plus a small wooded treasure ship. You then go to the other temples and shrines on the tour and purchase a statue of another lucky god at each one to complete the set. Be sure to pray before making your purchase at each.
WEB: https://www.kagurazaka-bishamonten.com/

Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum / Bunka Gakuen Fukushoku Hakubutsukan: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 374

Celes Takadanobaba (セレス高田馬場)

One of the more "interesting" buildings near Takadanobaba Station is this wedding chapel. The brown faux gothic cathedral style front is almost flat and so devoid of ornamentation to be almost a bas relief of a church. According to their web site the interior of the wedding hall is tall giving a large European church feel that the designers intended, with the use of projectors they can even do a starry night display in the hall. There are also three banquet halls in different styles.
ACCESS: Takadanobaba Station (Yamanote Line, Seibu Shinjuku Line, Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line)
WEB: http://celes-takadanobaba.com

Disk Union: Shōwa Kayō Kan: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 381

Fire Museum (消防博物館)

A six story museum devoted to firefighting in Edo and Tokyo, the official name is a long one the "Tokyo Fire Department Firefighting and Disaster Prevention Reference Center". The building is also the Yotsuya fire station so be careful when approaching the entrance and exiting as vehicles may suddenly be leaving. The displays include equipment and uniforms from the Edo Period to the modern day. Items on display from the Edo Period include: fire resistant clothing, brigade banners, a hand operated water pump, and tools for disassembling buildings to create firebreaks which was one of the major methods to fight fires in the Edo Period. The modern equipment include: horse drawn and early gas powered fire engines, a ladder truck, various hose nozzles, uniforms, instruments of the fire department's band, and helicopters. There are also various various documents, woodblock prints, dioramas, etc. on display. Kids can even don miniature uniforms and enter some vehicles, even get into the helicopter on the roof. The tenth floor lounge has a panoramic view of Tokyo, and the seventh floor has a library. A suggested route is to start on the sixth floor and work your way down to the basement, skipping the second floor which is the fire station.
CLOSED: Mondays, open if Monday is a holiday and then closed on Tuesday. December 29 - January 3 for the New Year’s Holiday
ACCESS: Yotsuya-sanchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)
WEB: https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/e_museum.html

Fishing Culture Museum (釣り文化資料館)

A small specialized free museum devoted to fishing established in 1989 by the founder of the Weekly Fishing News (Shūkan tsuri nyūsu 週刊つりニュース) magazine. Don't expect displays on commercial fishing, the museum is devoted to individual fishing. Much of what is on display is fishing gear such as bamboo fishing poles, lures, baskets for your catch, etc. from all over Japan. There are also humorous dioramas consisting of preserved frogs dressed as people enjoying fishing.
CLOSED: Thursday, Friday and New Years.
ACCESS: Akebonobashi Station (Toei Shinjuku Line)
WEB: https://tsurinews.co.jp/shiryokan

Four Seasons Pathway / Shiki No Michi: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 385

Hakoneyama (箱根山)

A hill in Toyama Koen, originally it was called Gyokuenho when this was a garden of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family. The hill is the tallest point in the Yamanote area of Tokyo at 44.6 meters (146 feet) above sea level. The location is said to be haunted as sobs and screams are said to be heard in the area of Hakoneyama. This makes the hill a popular tourism site for thrill seekers fans of the supernatural.
ACCESS: Nishi-waseda Station (Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line), Shin-Ōkubo Station (Yamanote Line)

Hanazono Jinja: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 390

Horse Trough / Basuisō: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 379

Ichibankan: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 392

Inari Kiō Jinja: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 392

Jōenji: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 377

Jōkakuji: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 393

Jūnisō Kumano Jinja: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 376

Kabukichō: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 382

Kabukichō Benzaiten: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 384

Kabukichō Ichibangai: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 384

Kabukichō Kōban: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 391

Kagurazaka Gojūban (神楽坂五○番)

Gojūban was founded 1957, this particular shop is at the location of a former Chinese restaurant. All products are handmade using fresh Japanese ingredients. Their menu includes various steamed buns, gyōza, shūmai, and chimaki. They also have small branches in the Daimaru Tokyo department store, which connects to Tokyo Station, and the Matsuya Ginza department store, which connects to Ginza Station.
ACCESS: Close to Kagurazaka Station, Ushigome-Kagurazaka Station, and Iidabashi Station
WEB: https://www.50ban.jp

Kagurazaka Jizōya Kagurazaka-dori branch (神楽坂 地蔵屋 神楽坂通り店)

Senbei are traditional Japanese rick crackers and at this shop they are all handmade, including hand baked. Senber come in a variety of shapes and sizes and this shop has very large selection of different types including low sodium. In the past they have done senbei making workshops, perhaps they shall start doing these again in the near future.
CLOSED: Summer holidays, year-end and New Year holidays
WEB: http://kagurazakasenbei.com/

Kinokuniya Shinjuku: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 379

Korea Museum / Kōrai Hakubutsukan: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 393

Love Hotel district: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 391

Memorial Museum for Soldiers, Detainees in Siberia, and Postwar Repatriates / Heiwa Kinen Tenji Shiryōkan: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 376

MODE GAKUEN Cocoon Tower: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 377

Nakamuraya: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 379

Naruko Tenjin (成子天神社)

Possibly founded in 903, it is also said that the shrine was established by Yoritomo Minamoto in 1197. This Tenjin (Michizane Sugawara) shrine was relocated to this spot in 1661 and is the guardian shrine of the neighborhood. On the grounds you will see Seven chikaraishi, "strength stones," used in weightlifting contests. The names of some contestants and the weights are inscribed on the stones. On the grounds is a mound that was originally called Tenjinzan, in 1920 it was repurposed as a fujizuka. The entrance to the shrine is some distance away near the Nishi-Shinjuku subway station on the Marunouchi Line and is marked by a large rectangular stone with the shrine name on it.

Nishimuki Tenjinsha: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 396

NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 384

Oiwa Inari Tamiya Shrine (於岩稲荷田宮神社)

In 1825 an off season kabuki play was performed in Edo during the hottest time of the year. Normally the theaters closed and actors fled the city to cooler places. For some reason at authorities decided there should still be performances that year, so while the stars took a break less popular actors had to stay to perform a play that transformed kabuki. This was Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan, a masterpiece of horror that has continually been performed not only on stage but also in movies, TV, and even an anime version. The author Tsuruya Nanboku IV wove a variety of actual, or purported to be actual, events into what became the play with the vengeful ghost Oiwa.

Legend has it that there was a woman named Oiwa from the Tamiya household in Yotsuya whose ghost nearly destroyed the family after being abused by her husband. The legend is in a document called Yotsuya Zatsudan-shū "Idle Talk of Yotsuya" which is owned by the shrine. The shrine by the way is built where the Tamiya home was once located.

A tradition exists where those putting on the play, or a movie version, go to her grave in another part of Tokyo to pay respects or risk serious problems in the production, to be safe some also go to the shrine. Even James S. De Benneville in his 1916 retelling of the tale asks Oiwa to forgive his retelling of the tale.
ACCESS: Yotsuya-sanchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)

Samurai Museum: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 385

Senpukuji: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 396

Shanghai Xiaochi (上海小吃)

Founded in 1993 in Kabukichō not far from Golden Gai. As the name indicates their specialty is Shanghai cuisine, they also serve Sichuan and Hunan food. The staff is all Chinese and prepare quite a variety of dishes for a restaurant this size. With the large variety on their menu you may want to go with friends to get plenty of different dishes to choose from. One review I read recommended the "tomato iri rāmen." Around October - November, they serve Shanghai hairy crabs which they have shipped in from China. They also have unusual dishes such as fried scorpion, bee larva, fried snake meat (which has lots of bones), and more. These are not for being exotic or for shock value but for their actual flavor. If you are not up to such fare they have plenty of familiar Chinese food that you can choose from such as various noodles, rice dishes, boiled frog, rabbit, and more.
NOTE: They can be crowded so you may want to call in for reservations during business hours or use their online form.
HOURS: Open 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am, Sunday and holidays 5:00 pm to 2:00 am.
TRIVIA:
On display are animation cels from the movie Millennium Actress that director Kon Satoshi gave them.
In the Alice and Zoroku manga and anime there is a scene of two characters enjoying a meal. The dishes are identified so you may want to check them out.
Shanghai Xiaochi was used as the location for the Chinese restaurant in Miike Takashi's 2019 film First Love. This is where the boxer works, as well as it being the location of a drunk Chinese woman's rant about the dishonorable nature of the yakuza.
Nearest train and subway stations: Seibu-Shinjuku Station (Seibu Shinjuku Line), Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station (Toei Oedo Line), Shinjuku Station.
X (TWITTER): https://twitter.com/ShanghaiXiaochi
WEB: https://shanghai-xiaochi.com

Shinjuku Bunmeidō (新宿文明堂)

The main Shinjuku location for pastry shop making and selling Japanese and Western style cakes. The company was established in 1900, this Shinjuku branch dates from 1933. For more on the company see the main entry in the chapter on Nihonbashi North. There are also small Bunmeidō stores in the Shinjuku branches of the Keiō, Takashimaya, Isetan, and Odakyū department stores.
WEB: https://www.bunmeido.co.jp

Shinjuku Central Park / Shinjuku Chūō Kōen: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 376

Shinjuku Golden Gai: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 390

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden / Shinjuku Gyoen: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 395

Shinjuku Nichōme: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 395

Shinjuku NS Building: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 374

Shinjuku Omoide Yokochō: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 377

Shinjuku Subnade: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 383

Shinjuku Tōhō Building: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 385

Shinjuku Tourist Information Center: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 381

Shōjuin: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 393

Sompo Museum of Art: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 377

Studio ALTA: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 379 NOTE: In March 2023 it was announced that Studio ALTA will close on February 28, 2025 in preparation for the area to be redeveloped.

Suehirotei: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 381

Suga Jinja (須賀神社)

Formed by the merger of a Gozu tennō shrine and an Inari shrine in the Meiji Period. The shrine ceiling has paintings of Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry which were donated to the shrine in 1836. There is a long stairway with its red handrails leading to the shrine where the final scene in the hit movie Your Name takes place.
ACCESS: Yotsuya-sanchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line), Yotsuya Station (Chūō Line, Chūō-Sōbu Line)
WEB: https://sugajinjya.or.jp

Taisōji: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 395

Takadanobaba Station (高田馬場駅)

This is actually three connected stations, they service the JR East Yamanote, Seibu Shinjuku, and the Tokyo Metro Tōzai lines. The underpass below the tracks at the station has what will interest most visitors, a very large mural of characters from various works by the famous manga artist and animator Tezuka Osamu. Most recognizable are Atom (Astro Boy), and the illegal surgeon Black Jack. A close look will show circled images with a realistic portrait of a person and one of Tezuka's drawings. These are some of the authors of famous works Tezuka refashioned into manga. On the Yamanote Line platform the theme music from Tetsuwan-Atom (Astro Boy) is heard before each train departs. All of this is appropriate as in the manga Takadanobaba is where Atom was created. Another connection is that in 1976 Tezuka Production moved its offices to the neighborhood.

Tansuya Shinjuku sabunādo-ten (たんす屋新宿サブナード店) In the Shinjuku Subnade. [Item 2 in the Detail 6 map]

Tansuya (たんす屋) is a famous chain selling new and used kimono and yukata. They describe themselves as a kimono recycle store. Frankly looking at the recycled kimono they are in great shape, not surprising as the Japanese tend to take good care of their stuff. There are many shops in Tokyo, I am adding them to these supplement pages the boomarks when I have a page for the area they are in.
WEB: https://tansuya.jp

Tenryūji: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 382

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building / Tōkyō To Chōsha: Tokyo Stroll, Shinjuku Station Area Chapter, page 374

Tokyo Toy Museum (東京おもちゃ美術館)

Very much for kids of all ages, this museum is mainly hands on, with literally thousands of toys and a playground. Located in a three story former elementary school that was built before WWII. The rooms and hallways not only have toys to view and play with but also a workshop room where you can make your own toy. Modern toys, traditional toys, games, toys that teach science, display galleries, a room designed for babies aged 1-2, and of course a museum shop.
ACCESS: Yotsuya-sanchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line), Akebonobashi Station (Toei Shinjuku Line)
WEB: https://art-play.or.jp/ttm/en/

Toyama Kōen 戸山公園

This park was originally part of an estate of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family. The park is not one continuous body but in two parts, the largest being in the east. The eastern portion was originally a huge strolling garden, the Toyama Sanso Garden. This eastern portion includes Hakoneyama and a pond, the last of many that once were in the gardens. This garden was laid out in the Edo Period to be a symbolic representation of locations along the Tōkaidō. Both portions are heavily forested making them pleasant places to stroll when it is hot.

From 1873 to 1945 part of the park was the Toyama Medical Academy, a military facility. In 1989 excavations next to the park uncovered around 100 bodies, many of which were non-Japanese. The academy apparently had a connection with the infamous Unit 731 and in 2006 Iishi Toyo a former nurse told of burying bodies and body parts in the area after the Japanese surrender. Further excavations have not uncovered any more remains. Just north of Hakoneyama there is a monument to the military academy.
ACCESS: Nishi-waseda Station (Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line), Takadanobaba Station (Yamanote Line, Seibu Shinjuku Line, Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line), Shin-Ōkubo Station (Yamanote Line)

Waseda El Dorado (aka Rhythms of Vision) (ドラード早稲田)

Designed and constructed by Von Jour Caux and a group of craftspeople in 1983. The building is not far from the front gate of the Waseda University, where Von Jour Caux as a student was introduced to the works of Antoni Gaudi, he would later also study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This apartment building includes shops on the ground floor. The exterior is composed of rounded surfaces covered in ceramic art on the combined with mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, and wrought iron. Be careful when you enter the lobby there is an undulating floor in part of the entryway, also be respectful of the residents as this is their home.
ACCESS: Waseda Station (Tokyo Metro Tozai Line)

Yayoiken Shinjuku Kabukichō in the Shiro Building 2F
[In the area in the Shinjuku Station East Detail 6 map]

Yayoiken Shinjukugyoen
[East of the area in the Shinjuku Station Area East Detail 8 map]

Yayoiken Nishi-Shinjuku (やよい軒 西新宿店)
[West of the area in the Shinjuku Station Area West Detail 2 map]

Local branchs of the restaurant chain Yayoi. I include these here as this chain is an excellent place to get a Japanese style breakfast at very reasonable prices. As you enter there is a machine where you can order and pay for your meal. This is a touch screen device and has an English menu option for easy selection. Pay for your meal, collect your ticket and change then seat yourself. You don't need to be able to speak Japanese as the ticket has your selection. Refills on rice and tea are free, just help yourself.
WEB: https://www.yayoiken.com/en/

Yuri Cafe Anchor (百合カフェ アンカー)

A manga cafe located on the second floor of a building in Shinjuku Nichōme. It was originally established in 2005 as a dining bar called Night Cafe Anchor, in 2020 it was reopened as Yuri Cafe Anchor. The cafe has over 2000 Manga, dōjinshi, and novels, classified by genre. Most of the books are in Japanese but they do have some in English and other languages. There is Wi-Fi, as well as power outlets and USB ports at each seat. A variety of food is available as are non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages including cocktails.
Thanks go to Erica Friedman for turning me on to this place, they have her excellent history of yuri, By Your Side, is in the collection.

NOTES:
As this is a manga cafe there is an admission fee for 30 minutes, stay longer with an extension fee, a food order counts as an extension fee.
No cash. Various credit cards and mobile payment systems accepted.
Nearest train station: Shinjuku-sanchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, Toei Shinjuku Line)
CLOSED: Tuesdays and Monday holidays.
WEB: http://yuricafe.tokyo