Shinjuku – Steak dinner
Since we were near Shinjuku Station, we decided to explore the area and find dinner somewhere around there as well.
Since we were near Shinjuku Station, we decided to explore the area around the station and find dinner somewhere around there as well.
To get from the Keio Plaza hotel to the area we wanted to explore, we had to get to the “other” side of Shinjuku Station (新宿駅) 🗾. Thus, we entered the station and tried to keep walking in the generally right direction. It took a while: there is construction and “detours” underground. Signage is typically used to locate specific exits or train lines, but it was not particularly helpful for navigating the station. The station was also bustling; some 3-4 million people use it daily, and it is officially recognized as the world’s busiest railway station. There are over 35 platforms in the central station, and an additional 17 are directly accessible via underground passageways. The entire above- and underground complex has well over 200 entrances/exits.
The main square near the station is large, occupied on all sides by multi-story buildings with electronic billboards everywhere. Some have static displays, others show movies or animations. It is loud and full of people, an actual neon jungle (although these days it is all LED).
We walked around the area between the station, 1-Chome, and the Kabukicho area (entertainment and red-light district). We bought cheap umbrellas at the Don Quijote Shinjuku Kabukicho (ドン・キホーテ 新宿歌舞伎町店) 🗾. This store is one of a popular chain that sells a wide range of products. Somewhere near the border with Kabuchiko, on Kabukicho Sakura-dori Street, just a short distance from the Godzilla statue, we found a small place, Kinnoie Yakiniku Restaurant Shinjuku Main Branch (炭火焼肉 金の家 新宿本店) 🗾, where we walked up to the upper level and had a grill-it-yourself, Yakiniku Wagyu steak dinner.
After dinner, we made our way back to the station to take the subway back to the hotel. We were following Google Maps’ guidance to a particular station entrance (optimized for our destination). We could not find it. So, we just entered somewhere else and found our way anyway. Many days later, we were in the area during the day and figured out why: construction had boarded up and closed the entrance, and the almighty Google did not know about it.
One takeaway from this experience is: “Don’t sweat it.” You will, eventually, find where you need to be. Of course, when you are on a deadline, you may want to build in some time for this kind of thing, although in our experience, only Shinjuku Station warranted that.