Japan: Shopping in Shinjuku, and Kabukicho

Date: 27th March 2015

After checking out the skyscrapers of Nishi-Shinjuku, I decided to walk around Shinjuku ward a bit more to see what else was in the area. It’s a major commercial area after all.

Shinjuku pedestrian foothpath road Tokyo — I was just walking along, not really knowing where I was going

Green peas pachinko arcade Shinjuku Tokyo — That’s a pachinko arcade building called Green Peas

Louis Vuitton Isetan Shinjuku Tokyo — I was at a street with many big stores all around, from high end Louis Vuitton to department stores like Isetan

BICQLO shop Shinjuku Tokyo — Oh my god… a combination store of Bic Camera and Uniqlo… called BICQLO

I had already spent the morning at a Bic Camera and shopped at a Uniqlo just outside the Nishi-Shinjuku store. I kept telling myself: “Don’t go in, don’t go in, don’t go…”

Gunpla toys Bic Camera Shinjuku — Again spent time looking at Gunpla kits

Bic Camera headphones Shinjuku — Tried out a few headphones too

Liquor store Shinjuku Japan — I noticed BICQLO had a liquor section too

Suntory whisky Yamazaki bottle — I wanted to buy a bottle of Yamazaki before leaving Japan

Ballantines foreign whisky Japan — At the same time, foreign liquor was also pretty damn cheap in Japan (when compared to India)

Au ABC mart Shinjuku Tokyo — I left BICQLO and resumed my walk around Shinjuku

Then I stumbled upon a 100 Yen store. I went in just to see if I could find anything good inside. After buying an aluminum frying pan, some chocolates, nuts and other goodies, I was back out again. Japan’s 100 yen stores are pretty damn nice for you will always find a few items look like a very good bargain, even if the quality isn’t the greatest.

Shinjuku shops Hotel Gracery Japan — I found myself near another major shopping street and look what I saw in the distance

Godzilla Hotel Gracery panorama Tokyo — Godzilla!

Gojira statue Toho cinemas Tokyo Japan — Gojira, as he is known in Japan, is a property of Toho Cinemas

Kabukicho Shinjuku at night — As I walked closer to Godzilla, I saw a street with a lot of neon lights not too far away

Kabukicho DVD neon lights Tokyo Japan — Turns out I was in Kabukicho, Tokyo’s red light district

Host bars clubs Kabukicho Tokyo — You won’t find any prostitutes on the streets here. It was mostly all host clubs and bars

What are host and hostess bars? These hosts and hostesses cater to women and men mostly, and patrons pay to sit and chat with the club’s hosts. Yup. You pay for company. Talk, have drinks, play games and on occasions, if the club allows it, you may take the host or hostess out for a date — which costs even more. It’s a pretty interesting world, and VICE have two mini documentaries on this industry (one for hosts and hostesses). Some hosts and hostesses become mini-celebrities and it’s unbelievable how much money some of them get their patrons to spend. Of course, this job also involves drinking copious amounts of alcohol on a daily basis, and which I’m sure is not something that’s good for your body in the long run.

Host bars men kabukicho Tokyo — These male hosts look like J-idols or members of a boyband. But I guess that’s the look the Japanese women want.

Hostess bar girls Tokyo Japan — These bars are by no means cheap. Prices start at Rs.2500 ($45) for an hour just to sit with one of the girls, and that’s excluding the drinks and other buys once inside. The more these hosts get you to spend, the more they make in commissions.

Robot restaurant Kabukicho street Tokyo — Moving on, in a way I was glad I found Kabukicho

Robot restaurant tank girls Tokyo show — I was anyway interested in checking out the Robot Restaurant

What’s inside? A bizarre show of girls and robots and dinosaurs… and… actually, just watch this clip from Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown:

Kabukicho neon lights bars Tokyo — Unfortunately for me, tickets cost ¥7000 (Rs.4100/$62/€55) which was way too much money for me to spend when I still had to manage my expenses for a few more days in Tokyo

Don Quijote discount store Shinjuku — I left Kabukicho, walked back and made a quick stop at Don Quijote, a popular chain of 24-hour discount stores

Clothing Don Quijote Shinjuku Tokyo — They sell a variety of goods, from clothing to food items…

Sex toys Don Quijote Shinjuku — … to sex toys…

Luxury brands Don Quijote Shinjuku — … and even luxury brands, although I’m not sure if these are all genuine

Shinjuku road at night Tokyo — Anyway, it was time to leave Shinjuku

Queue Zakuzaku Lumine Shinjuku — As I walked to Shinjuku station via the Lumine department store basement, I saw people queuing up for some pastry

Zakuzaku croquant price Shinjuku — The store is called Zakuzaku, and they sell a croquant chou that is pastry coated with almond flakes with a cream filling

Queue zakuzaku Shinjuku Tokyo — I was curious to find out what it tasted like, so I queued up as well

Zakuzaku croquant dessert Shinjuku Tokyo — They don’t look appealing but it did smell really nice

Zakuzaku cream filling machine Shinjuku — That’s the machine they use to fill in the cream

Local fried chicken Tokyo Japan — Back in Asakusa, I wondered what to have for dinner. I picked up some local fried chicken.

Nakamise street at night — I walked past Nakamise Street. This is what it looks like at night, when all the shops have closed.

Ekimise Asakusa station Tokyo Japan — Ekimise is an old railway station renovated and now houses many shops

Koban police station asakusa Tokyo — After picking up some KFC, I walked all the way back to the hostel. That small croner building is a Koban, a mini police station. Crime is so low in Japan that you can do just fine with such small police stations.

Sakura package beer Asahi Sapporo Japan — This being sakura season, a lot of products get repackaged to fit the festive mood — including beer brands

Post-dinner, I tried the Zakuzaku pastry. How was it? Hmmm, it was okay. Maybe I should have had it fresh at the store itself, it would have been crunchier. Was it worth waiting line for more than 15 minutes? No. Tried it, scratched it off my list, and won’t bother again.

And that was the end to this day. Tomorrow, I would spend time by Sumida River to see the cherry blossom festivities there, and then take a boat ride to Odaiba — to see the famous Gundam robot!

Next few posts in this series:

Japan 2015: Denboin garden, near Sensoji Temple

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom celebrations by Sumida River

Japan 2015: Boat ride to Odaiba; giant Gundam statue at DiverCity Mall

Japan 2015: Cherry blossoms at Tokyo Imperial Palace east garden

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom sightings at Shinjuku Gyoen

Japan 2015: Harajuku on a Sunday – Meiji shrine and Yoyogi Park

Japan 2015: Harajuku at night — Takeshita Street

Japan 2015 – Visiting Akihabara a second time, because why not?

Japan 2015: Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Ueno Park

Japan 2015: Rikugien garden’s weeping cherry blossom tree

Japan 2015: Getting to Hakone; Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise