Shinjuku Station Is Getting A ¥72.8 Billion Makeover

Above, commuters cataching a Yamanote Line train at Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, I've been there several times to catch trains to Nakano (where Mandarake stores are located at Nakano Broadway) and Setagaya (where Toho Studios is located). The most recent time I've used it was in 2015.

Shinjuku Station is reputed to be the busiest in the world and not easy to navigate. I've never had a problem with it.

But, according to Time Out Tokyo, Shinjuku station is getting a makeover to make it more user-friendly.

They wrote:

Getting lost in Shinjuku Station is an emotional experience. With 12 different train lines and 36 platforms, it’s officially the world’s busiest train station, with an estimated 3.59 million people passing through it every day. As if the sheer number of commuters didn’t make things disorienting enough, Shinjuku Station has over 200 exits that even locals have a difficult time navigating. 

There might be an end to the chaos – at least, in the distant future – with renovations underway to improve the station’s layout and make it more hospitable for those of us passing through. New features will include a footpath allowing for people to cut through the station from the east side to the west side without having to go through any ticket barriers.

Above, the walk from Shinjuku Station to see Godzilla peering over buildings is an easy one. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Live Japan's Guide To Shinjuku Station

Above, the Godzilla Head in Shinjuku. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is one of the largest and busiest train and subway stations in the city. It is easy to get lost in it.

This is the station to go to in order to see the Godzilla Head at the Hotel Gracery.

Fortunately, Live Japan has a comprehensive guide to the station.

They begin their guide with:

Shinjuku is one of Tokyo’s – and Japan’s – busiest areas, acting as an office town, a shopping district, a center for urban culture and lifestyle, and thus a prime tourist destination. In the center of all of this is Shinjuku Station, a massive hub that connects five railroads and people from all over the country.

Giant shopping malls border the enormous station, as well as Kabukicho, Tokyo’s most famous red-light district. Towering home electronics stores sell state-of-the-art electronics to locals and tourists alike - and everything is connected by a vast underground network of exits, arcades, and tunnels, all belonging to Shinjuku Station. The hub deserves its reputation as a labyrinth of over 200 exits that, at times, can be seemingly impossible to navigate.

Let's start to unravel this large spiderweb that is Shinjuku Station's structure and directions first.

By the way, although the Live Japan guide doesn't mention it, those wanting to see the Godzilla Head should use the East Exit. 

To read more, go here.

Direct Train From Tokyo To Mt. Fuji To Debut

Above, a shinkansen train view of Mt. Fuji. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A new Japan Rail (JR) train service will take visitors directly from Tokyo to Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture starting next March.

According to The Mainichi:

TOKYO -- A limited express train service connecting Shinjuku and Kawaguchiko stations will debut this coming March, mainly targeting inbound tourists looking to travel directly from Tokyo to enjoy views of Mount Fuji. 

Dubbed the "Fuji Excursion," the service will connect Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and Kawaguchiko Station on Fuji Kyuko's Kawaguchiko Line in Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan's highest and most famous peak. 

The launch of the new service will come as part of revisions to the train schedules of the seven Japan Railway group companies on March 16, 2019. The outline of the updated timetable was released on Dec. 14.

To read more, go here. 

Japanese Train Station Melodies

Above, passengers boarding the JR Yamanote Line at Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the things that is enjoyable (at least I find it so) while traveling around Japan: the melodies played at Japanese train stations.

According to Japan Info:

If you’ve ever been to the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, you’ll notice the melody being played when trains are about to arrive and depart from stations. They are called train departure melodies or “hassha merodii” in Japanese. These jingles that whisk commuters on their way were actually made by Japanese composer Minoru Mukaiya, who has created almost 200 train jingles in his lifetime. 

Aside from Tokyo and Osaka, there are other cities around the world that use train melodies such as Budapest in Hungary and Seoul in Korea. First introduced by French classical pianist Charles-Valentin Alkan, these melodies or jingles are known to provide a feeling of relief when trains are departing and alertness when arriving. In 1971, they were introduced to Japan; and Keihan Electric Railway was the first Japanese railway company to use such train melodies. 

Bells were first used to mark the departure and arrival of trains. It didn’t sound calming and relaxing, thus certain criteria were used in creating the tunes. Later on, local train managers were able to customize the alarms into melodic ones. It created a positive reaction among passengers and quickly became popular, as passengers felt unhurried before disembarking. Most train melodies are related to Japanese history and are seven-seconds long.

Here are some examples:

And you can even buy some! Here's some you can buy of Tokyo's JR Yamanote Line:




To read more, go here.

101 Things To Do In Shinjuku

Above, Tokyo's tourism ambassador peers over Shinjuku buildings. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's centers for shopping, nightclubs, restaurants and, of course, Godzilla, now Tokyo's tourism ambassador.

Besides being able to see the life-sized Godzilla head peering over the Toho cinemas, Shinjuku has other things, 101 of them in all, to see and do.

According to Time Out Tokyo:

Trying to navigate your way through Shinjuku Station is hard enough, but when you finally find the right exit, figuring out how to make sure you don't miss out on any of Shinjuku's best shops, restaurants, bars and tourist sights is a challenge all on its own. You could live in Tokyo for years and still not discover everything it offers. 

This is where we come in. Doing what we do best, we've scoured the area for the top hotspots and narrowed the list down to a healthy 101 things to do, including chilling in jazzy coffee shops, shopping in massive (and boutique) department stores, tasting the best sake, exploring rock bars, visiting popular shrines and getting the best views of the city. It should keep you busy for a while.

To read more, go here.

Getting To Shinjuku's Godzilla

Above, Godzilla peers over the Shinjuku Toho Building in Shinjuku. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since vacation season is approaching, kaiju fans will want to stop in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo to see the life-sized Godzilla peering over from the Shinjuku Toho Building next door to the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. Some of the hotel's rooms offer great views of Godzilla.

Live Japan says this about the Hotel Gracery:

Located in the center of the east exit of Shinjuku Station where the former Koma Theater was. The hotel offers convenience, efficiency and comfort to guests. The guest rooms are on the upper floors and there is a cinema complex on the lower floors.

Here's how to get there:

Hotel Gracery is located at 1-19-1, Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0021. It is a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station's east exit.

These train and subway lines stop at Shinjuku Station:

･ JR Shonan Shinjuku Line
･ JR Yamanote Line
･ JR Chuo Main Line
･ JR Saikyo Line
･ Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line
･ Toei Shinjuku Line
･ Toei Oedo Line
･ Keio Line
･ Keio New Line
･ Odakyu Odawara Line

For more on Hotel Gracery, go here.

A Day's Cost of Tokyo Trains

If there's a big city in the world where one doesn't need to own a car, Tokyo is it.

Above, passengers boarding the Yamanote Line at Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tokyo has a transportation network of trains and subways that is the envy of the world. While it is far from perfect, one can get to anywhere in Tokyo through the train and subway system and, surprisingly, it is relatively cheap to use. It is a lot easier than it looks.

So, how much does train travel in Tokyo cost for a day?

Fortunately, City-Cost has that all figured out and it is explained.

They start with:

Let’s get this straight, Tokyo’s transport network is nothing short of phenomenal. Somehow it manages to shift an army of economic foot soldiers of Biblical proportions, from home to office, office to home, every day.  And usually without major incident. Yes, it’s not without its faults and yes, at times, cramped carriage conditions border on a human rights violation.  But still, cities the world-over eye-up Tokyo’s system with envy. And rightly so!

A key part of said system is the JR East train network.  These are the trains that navigate Tokyo above ground.  Despite having a map that looks like a preschooler went mad with some crayons, the JR network is perfectly navigable, given a bit of time.  But is it affordable?  Here we ask, What’s the cost of a day’s train travel in Tokyo?

 To read more, go here.

New Sightseeing Center To Open At Shinjuku Station

Above, Godzilla can be seen not far from Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who would like to explore other areas of Japan, a new tourist center will be opening next month in Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Shinjuku Station, by the way, is within easy walking distance to the Hotel Gracery and the Toho Cinemas, where Godzilla peers over the top of the complex.

According to The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun):

Keio Corp. and its group companies will open an information center and travel-related facilities for the rapidly increasing number of foreign tourists at an underground mall in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station in July. 

The group hopes to enhance the options available to such tourists by building a center specializing in trips to the Chubu region, where rich nature and a traditional way of life have been preserved. It will be open near the Keio Mall and Keio Mall Annex, which are adjacent to Keio New Line Shinjuku Station.

To read more, go here. 

Stations Along The JR Yamanote Line In Tokyo

Above, Harajuku Station is the oldest wooden station, built in 1924. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tokyo is well known for its efficient subway system, but it also has surface trains that are equally efficient. 

Perhaps the most well-known and, probably, the most important train line in Tokyo is the JR Yamanote Line that encircles central Tokyo.

I have taken rides on the Yamanote Line many times during eight visits to Tokyo. That, plus other train and subway lines, make car ownership almost unnecessary.

Japanistas.com has an article on different train station stops that the Yamanote Line makes.

They begin with:

A popular drinking game among the Japanese is called the “Yamanote Sen” game, or the Yamanote Line game. It basically involves saying a name of any train station on the circular Yamanote line while keeping to a rhythm that everyone claps to. Missing a beat or repeating a station results in a forfeit of drinking up! 

Be it secret training, so to speak, for an impromptu round of the Yamanote Line drinking game, or to impress the locals with your station knowledge, here is a brief introduction to the Yamanote Line and all its stations.

Above, boarding the Yamanote Line at Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

New App Will Help Navigate Shinjuku Station

Above, Denise and Aiden with service dogs outside of Shinjuku Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The train and subway system in Tokyo is one of the most efficient transit systems in the world.

However, sometimes it can be bewildering for a newbie to navigate some of the enormous stations in Tokyo. To help visitors, a new app has been introduced for Shinjuku Station.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Tokyo’s efficient rail system makes getting from one part of the city to another a snap. What’s not always so easy, though, is getting around the stations themselves. 

Shinjuku Station, located on the west side of downtown, can be particularly intimidating for the uninitiated. It’s not just the busiest station in the city, but the entire world, with 3.6 million passengers making their way through the train and subway hub every day. Of those, roughly 750,000 are using East Japan Railways’ trains, so the company has released a new smartphone app to help them navigate the JR portion of Shinjuku Station. 

The app is actually an updated version of a similar one released last year for Tokyo Station. The new edition can be used in either Shinjuku or Tokyo Stations, and can be configured for either English or Japanese menus and displays.

To read more, go here. 

Gamera's 50th Feted At Tokyo International Film Festival

Above, a shot from Gamera, The Guardian of the Universe. 

The Tokyo International Film Festival is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gamera.

According to the Tokyo Reporter:

TOKYO (TR) – A special event held on Saturday in conjunction with the Tokyo International Film Festival paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of one of Japan’s rubber-suit legends: Gamera. 

Before a few hundred spectators, the turtle-like creature waddled down a red carpet laid down in front of JR Shinjuku Station. A veteran of 12 films, the star was showing his age, requiring some assistance from TIFF staff at certain points to navigate the rug.

The film festival will be screening four Gamera movies, including all three of the Shusuke Kaneko-directed Gamera movies of the 1990s.

To read more, go here. 

New JR East Travel Service Center At Shinjuku Station

Photo: Japan National Tourism Organization.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has announced that JR East has opened a new travel service center at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.

They wrote:

Visitors to Japan from overseas this year has already exceeded 11 million, more than last year which was the highest on record ever. In order to provide services to meet the needs of foreign tourists visiting Japan, expected to continue growing in the future, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has opened a new JR EAST Travel Service Center inside Shinjuku Station.

For details on the new travel service center, go here.