Kanae

Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo


Kanae is a perfect example of one of Shinjuku-sanchōme's excellent and all but undiscoverable izakaya: delicious sashimi, seasonal dishes, simple staples (the potato salad is famous) and excellent sake in the basement of an unremarkable building (look for the white sign and then the cedar frond ball over the staircase). Seating is at the counter or at a handful of tables; reservations recommended.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo attractions

1. Hanazono-jinja

0.14 MILES

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…

2. Golden Gai

0.18 MILES

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…

3. Godzilla Head

0.33 MILES

Godzilla, a portmanteau of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira), is king of the kaijū (strange beasts) that ruled Japanese popular…

4. Shinjuku-gyoen

0.44 MILES

Shinjuku-gyoen was designed as an imperial retreat (completed 1906); since opening to the public in 1951, it has become a favourite destination for…

5. Place M

0.47 MILES

Run by four veteran artists (including pioneering street photographer Daido Moriyama), this gallery serves as a hub for the city's photography scene…

6. Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

0.52 MILES

This Nishi-Shinjuku landmark building (completed in 2008) is a 50-storey webbed tower designed by Tange Associates. Easily identifiable among the blockier…

7. Shinjuku I-Land

0.73 MILES

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…

8. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

0.83 MILES

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…