Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Golden Gai – a Shinjuku institution for over half a century – is a collection of tiny bars, often literally no bigger than a closet and seating maybe a…
Must-see attractions in Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tokyo's city hall – a landmark building designed by Tange Kenzō – has observatories (202m) atop both the south and north towers of Building 1 (the views…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Godzilla, a portmanteau of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira), is king of the kaijū (strange beasts) that ruled Japanese popular…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Shinjuku-gyoen was designed as an imperial retreat (completed 1906); since opening to the public in 1951, it has become a favourite destination for…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Lucky are the girls who attended the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed 'School of the Free Spirit' (Jiyū Gakuen; 自由学園). Built in 1921, Myōnichikan functioned as…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Kusama Yayoi (b 1929) is one of Japan's most internationally famous contemporary artists, particularly known for her obsession with dots and pumpkins. She…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
The ICC shows challenging, conceptual works that explore the intersection between art and technology – sometimes including participatory VR installations…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This otherwise ordinary office complex is home to more than a dozen public artworks, including one of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculptures (on the southeast…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Rising nearly 40m high and glistening in the sun, this stainless-steel contemporary cathedral was completed in 1955. It's the work of Japan's foremost…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Japan's most celebrated manga artist Tezuka Osamu lived most of his life in Takadanobaba and the neighbourhood couldn't be prouder. In front of the…
-
Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This public safety centre has a room that simulates a real earthquake and it's not for the faint of heart (literally): what you experience is a level…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Merchants from nearby Kabukichō come to this Shintō shrine to pray for the solvency of their business ventures. Founded in the 17th century, the shrine is…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This strolling garden was once the estate of a Meiji-era statesman and is now the grounds of a luxury hotel, though it's open to the public. The shaded…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
On the outskirts of Ikebukuro and opened in 1875, Zōshigaya-reien is the final resting place of many influential writers and artists of the modern era …
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is at its best when it holds solo shows and retrospectives of major modern Japanese artists and movements (spanning diverse…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Run by four veteran artists (including pioneering street photographer Daido Moriyama), this gallery serves as a hub for the city's photography scene…
-
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This Nishi-Shinjuku landmark building (completed in 2008) is a 50-storey webbed tower designed by Tange Associates. Easily identifiable among the blockier…
