Shinjuku Tokyo November 2023
- cazphillips2
- Jan 5
- 7 min read
Tokyo 2023 – Come with us as we discover Tokyo, Shinjuku in particular. Including our Top 5 things to do and see in Shinjuku. Explore Japanese cuisine and experience our stay in a traditional ryokan.
Days 1-3
A slightly different adventure to Japan, for me and the Favourite Husband, in that we would be travelling separately. Like royalty but without the jewels. Or titles. Or palaces … I won’t go on. Nor was it due to a falling out, that came later. The Favourite Husband was off on his very own adventure to do his international black belt in karate first. Which at the ripe old age of 60 I was super proud of him. It’s a huge challenge and, upon completion, a huge achievement. My very own hero. Swoon.
So, it was after 10 days of blissful peace, home alone with the dog, that I embarked on my own adventure, flying to Tokyo solo. Which is not really that big an adventure, until I arrived at Narita airport and had to navigate my way to the right bus to the right hotel. However, being the borderline nerd that I am, I’d already researched it all online and was pretty confident. The excellent airport shuttlebus website not only allows you to book your tickets online and download to your phone, but most helpfully tells you exactly what number bus stop to go to and directions from the terminal to those bus stops. Even I found it easily, which just goes to show how well it works!
I was earlier than I’d expected, having got through the airport super-fast, so I spoke to one of the easily identifiable staff (bright orange jackets) and they changed my ticket to an earlier bus and told me which stop to go to. I had a bit of a panic when following the live mapping (on-bus wifi) as we approached the ward we were staying in, the bus appeared to go the wrong way; but it’s a loop around the various hotels and then looped back to our hotel. And there was my Favourite Husband looking fresh and gorgeous in direct comparison to me. I was looking like I’d just travelled 12+ hours … oh, hang on …
We were staying in Shinjuku which is one of the 23 wards or districts, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The hotel is about 2 hours from Narita airport, but once you’re there it’s a great location. Walking distance to the large shopping and entertainment district and only 5 minutes from Shinjuku station - the largest in Tokyo and apparently the busiest in the world, providing transport to all other areas. It is believed to ferry an estimated 3.6 million passengers through it per day. I’m fairly sure we encountered all of them on our first visit. Top tip, if the sheer volume of people might overwhelm you, be smarter than us, and avoid rush hour. You’re welcome …
Shinjuku is a city, which has grown out of the amalgamation of several smaller wards and towns, to be what it is today. Kabukicho is the famous red-light district with a wide array of bars and restaurants selling pretty much whatever you can imagine and plenty that you probably haven’t. Close by is the area known as Golden Gai which houses tiny bars and restaurants, some only holding a handful of standing room only patrons. In addition to various other areas of the city, worth a special mention is Shinjuku Gyo-en park which is stunning and we were fortunate enough to visit in Autumn, which is my all-time favourite time of the year anyway. Our hotel was situated opposite Shinjuku central park which was just lovely. Interestingly it is home to Tokyo’s “Niagra Falls” otherwise known as a fountain. Perhaps somewhat ambitiously named.
Our first morning together involved the Favourite Husband showing me round the area as he had already relocated from his karate competition to Shinjuku 24 hours before I arrived. Needless to say, according to his priorities, he had located the nearest coffee shop and so we started there after breakfast. We then explored on foot using a lose itinerary of places of interest that I had researched prior. True to form our first day saw us rack up 10.5 kms before collapsing in the club lounge at the hotel with cocktails and canapes. Booking a room with Club lounge access was a new experience for us on this trip. And I am absolutely converted. It was relaxing after a day’s sightseeing to wander up to have a cup of tea or a drink and the food offerings were plentiful and delicious. To the point that we really didn’t need dinner too. It was also nice in the mornings to have breakfast without the feeling of being at a bun fight. The amount I ate and drank in the lounge may mean they change the rules going forward or maybe they just ban me?
The first day was really all the tourist sites of West Tokyo including;
Shinjuku Skyscraper District – essentially where our hotel is located so, go figure!
Kabukicho – red light district. Be cautious here, the bars are known for exorbitant pricing and exploiting tourists. It didn’t feel unsafe, but I’m not sure I’d venture here after dark. But that’s just me, I’m scared of the wind …
Golden Gai – some of these bars do not welcome tourists and are for locals only, mainly as they are so small. Those that welcome tourists usually display signs outside advertising this in English.
Omoide Yokocho – near the station, this is an alley of tiny eateries. Don’t be put off by the noise and sensory overload, or that the street is known colloquially as “Piss Alley.” Despite our best efforts we were unable to get any seating during our visit, as they are so popular. If we visited again, I’d push the Favourite Husband to be more forceful. Whilst hiding behind him.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building– this has an observatory on the 45th floor, but is not open late at night. We found this out at our peril.
Shinjuku Gyoen– best cherry blossom viewing park in the city if you’re there at the right time of year (late March to early April.)
Shinjuku Chuo Park (Central Park) – our particular favourite, opposite our hotel.
The following morning the Favourite Husband was excited. Like a child on Christmas Eve. What thrill was in store for us? The answer is two-fold. A trip to the local 7-11 and a breakfast picnic in the park. I’ll be honest, I had my doubts … but I was proved wrong. 7-11 is like a treasure trove of snacks. And when I say snacks, literally anything you can imagine. So, we chose a varied selection with no real theme, not even a breakfast theme if I’m completely honest, and then set off for Central Park. Some real wins were the egg mayonnaise sandwich. I don’t know how they do it but the bread of these sandwiches is like nothing I’ve ever had before. I think it’s something they call “milk” bread. It is soft, fluffy, fresh goodness and the mayonnaise is of course Japanes Kewpie mayo. Then we had some preserved soft boiled eggs, cold. Got to admit, I wasn’t a fan, they were super watery and runny. Staying with the cold selection we had a cream puff. It looks like a sponge cake but has this cream cheese gooeyness inside that is mana from Heaven. It’s essentially a choux pastry bun. Then from our hot buffet, we had fried chicken on waffles. Delicious. I did, however, draw the line at caramel coated bananas. The sushi wrap for breakfast though was also a win.
There is a peacefulness within the park, people walking and doing Tai Chi, this is a direct contrast to the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku. Also in contract is the many temples and shrines littered across the city, unexpectedly popping up around each corner or hidden between sky scrapers. Kumano Shrine is adjacent to the Shinjuku West exit of the park. According to the guides, worshipping at Kumano Shrine is believed to bring wealth and success. The shrine offers lucky charms that are reputed to enhance financial fortunes, which may appeal to visitors, and certainly did to me, in the pursuit of enhanced prosperity.
From here we headed to Hanazono Shinto Shrine, which is on Shinjuku’s East side and is considered the guardian shrine of Shinjuku. The smaller Itoku Inari Shrine inner shrine is considered important for the health and success of romantic relationships and fertility. I encouraged the Favourite Husband to go worship heavily in this area, not for the fertility aspect to be clear.
From here we lingered through a myriad of food trucks. I was brave selecting the Takoyaki, octopus balls, which I regretted. The texture wasn’t good for me. In New Zealand, our bastardised version is very smooth, almost like a puree, whereas the real deal in Japan is more coarse and chewy. Luckily the Favourite Husband spotted something he had already tried and loved, a kind of filled flatbread that comes soaked in a salty sauce. It’s called Guo Kui and is flatbread stuffed with vegetables or meat, I think ours was chicken. It’s crispy and flaky. Originally from China it translates to “Pot helmet” and was so good.
We finished the day off with revisting Hanazono Shinto Shrine as there was a vibrant festival going on with a constant procession of people bringing elaborate and beautiful offerings to the shrine. We had a browse around some of the shops and finished off with a very non-Japanese cheese board and wine at a quiet bar.
Tomorrow heralded a new adventure, off to a ryokan. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese hostel or hotel with private and/or communal bathing pools, known as onsen, which may be naturally heated or in some cases artificially heated. A ryokan generally includes all things traditional such as a kaiseki meal, sleeping on futons and providing guests with the traditional kimono or robe of a yukata.
Can. Not. Wait.
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