Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
neighbouring Kabukichō is best visited in the evening when the neon sparks into action
and legions of Tokyoites descend to shop and party.
Kabukichō
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The lively red-light district of
Kabukichō
was named after a never-built kabuki theatre
that was planned for the area in the aftermath of World War II. Although there are
plans for partial redevelopment (see box below), the myriad host and hostess bars, girly
shows, sex venues and love hotels are well entrenched. For casual strollers it's all pretty
safe thanks to street security cameras. Take a wander in the grid of streets around
Hanamichi-dōri and you won't miss the peacock-preening young Japanese male touts
who hook women into the male host bars, and the notably less primped African
immigrant men who do likewise for hostess bars - the
yakuza
who run the show are
there, too, though generally keeping a much lower profile.
11
Hanazono-jinja
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• 5-17-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku • 24hr • Free • Shinjuku, Higashi-shinjuku, Seibu-shinjuku or Shinjuku-sanchōme stations
Set in grounds studded with vermillion
torii
, the attractive
Hanazono-jinja
shrine
predates the founding of Edo by the Tokugawa, but the current granite buildings
are modern re-creations - the shrine was originally sited where the department store
Isetan now is. At night spotlights give the shrine a special ambience and every Sunday
there's a flea market in its grounds (see p.188). Just west of the shrine is the diametric
opposite of a flea market:
Golden Gai
(
ΰʔϧσϯ֗
; see box, p.172), one of Tokyo's
most atmospheric (and seedy), bar quarters.
Shinjuku Gyoen
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• 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku-ku • Garden Tues-Sun 9am-4.30pm, last entry 4pm; villa second and fourth Sat of month, 10am-3pm •
Entry ¥200 •
Rakū-tei
Tues-Sun 10am-4pm • Tea ¥700 • Main entrance Shinjuku-gyoenmae station; west gate Sendagaya station
The largest, and arguably the most beautiful, garden in Tokyo is
Shinjuku Gyoen
. Its
grounds, which once held the mansion of Lord Naitō, the
daimyō
of Tsuruga on the
Sea of Japan coast, became the property of the Imperial Household in 1868, and
the park was opened to the public after World War II. Apart from spaciousness, the
gardens' most notable feature is the variety of design. The southern half is traditionally
Japanese, with winding paths, stone lanterns, artificial hills and islands in ponds linked
by zigzag bridges, and is home to
Rakū-tei
, a pleasant
teahouse
. At the northern end of
the park are formal, French-style gardens, with neat rows of tall birch trees and
hedge-lined flowerbeds. Clipped, broad lawns dominate the middle of the park,
modelled on English landscape design. On the eastern flank, next to the large
greenhouse, there's a replica of an imperial wooden
villa
from 1869. In spring, the park
bursts with pink and white cherry blossoms, while in early November kaleidoscopic
chrysanthemum displays and golden autumn leaves are the main attractions.
KABUKICHŌ RENAISSANCE?
Say it quietly, but one of Tokyo's most ra
sh areas is in the process of going respectable. The
Renaissance Kabukichō
project, a partnership between city hall and local merchants, aims
to highlight the area's more legit businesses, such as restaurants, cinemas and galleries, and is
pushing for a Roppongi Hills-style development (see p.96) on the old Koma site, albeit one
that retains elements of Kabukichō's infamous “local colour”. In recent years police have also
been cracking down harder on the area's
fuzoku
(sex-related) and other dubious businesses,
such as host clubs which happily let customers rack up huge bar bills. Unlike in many red-light
districts around the world, everything that happens in Kabukichō is not readily apparent - for
insights into the area's dark side read Jake Adelstein's
Tokyo Vice
(see p.253) or follow Tokyo
Realtime's Kabukichō audio walking tour (
W
tokyorealtime.com).
