, officially called Shinjuku City, is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo.
Since the end of World War II, Shinjuku has become a major secondary center of Tokyo (fukutoshin), rivaling the original city center in Marunouchi. Today, it is a major commercial and administrative center and houses the northern half of Shinjuku Station, the busiest railway station in the world, as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administrative center of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
As of 2025, the ward has an estimated population of 355,981, living in a total area of .Shinjuku City
History
In 1634, during the Edo period, as the outer moat of the Edo Castle was built, a number of temples and shrines moved to the Yotsuya area on the western edge of Shinjuku. In 1698, Naitō-Shinjuku had developed as a new (shin) station (shuku or juku) on the Kōshū Kaidō, one of the major highways of that era. Naitō was the family name of a daimyō whose mansion stood in the area; his land is now a public park, the Shinjuku Gyoen. In 1898, the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant, the city's first modern water treatment facility, was built in the area that is now between the park and the train station.
In 1920, the town of Naitō-Shinjuku, which comprised large parts of present-day Shinjuku (the neighborhood, not the municipality), parts of Nishi-Shinjuku and Kabukichō were integrated into Tokyo City. Shinjuku began to develop into its current form after the Great Kantō Earthquake in 1923, since the seismically stable area largely escaped the devastation. Consequently, West Shinjuku is one of the few areas in Tokyo with many skyscrapers.
The Tokyo air raids from May to August 1945 destroyed almost 90% of the buildings in the area in and around Shinjuku Station.History of Shinjuku The pre-war form of Shinjuku and the rest of Tokyo was retained after the war because the roads and rails, damaged as they were, remained, and these formed the heart of Shinjuku in the post-war construction. Only in Kabuki-cho was a grand reconstruction plan put into action.Ichikawa, 2003
The present ward was established on March 15, 1947 with the merger of the former wards of Yotsuya, Ushigome, and Yodobashi. It served as part of the athletics 50 km walk and marathon course during the 1964 Summer Olympics.1964 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. Part 1. p. 74. In March 1965, the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant closed and was replaced by skyscrapers in the following years.
The Sixties in Shinjuku Shinjuku was the epicenter of new ideas and artistic avant-gardes in Tokyo in the 1960s, much like Greenwich Village in New York.
Cinema The young directors of the Japanese New Wave used Shinjuku as the setting for several of their films, such as Nagisa Oshima's Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (1969), Koji Wakamatsu's Shinjuku Mad (screenplay by Masao Adachi), and Funeral Parade of Roses by Toshio Matsumoto.
In 1967, the Art Theatre Guild opened the Scorpio Theatre (Sasori-za) in the basement of its Art Theatre Shinjuku Bunka cinema. The Scorpio Theatre quickly established itself as an influential underground venue for angura theater, music, dance, and film. Its name, proposed by novelist Yukio Mishima, was inspired by Kenneth Anger's film Scorpio Rising (1963). It was at the Sasori-za that Mishima held the first screening of his film Patriotism (1966).
Theater In 1967, the Modern Art Theater was opened in Shinjuku. Dubbed the "sensational cave," it offered nude shows, avant-garde and entertainment theater, film screenings, and performances. The theater laboratory "Ceiling Pier", which had Tadanori Yokoo as a founding member, also performed there. After the underground boom, the venue was used for striptease performances.
It was in Shinjuku, in the Hanazono shrine, that the first performances of the "Red Tent" (Jokyo Gekijo), the company founded by Juro Kara, took place.
Tatsumi Hijikata and the buto dancers were also closely associated to Shinjuku.
Places Cafe Fugetsudo, founded by actor Goro Yokoyama, was a rallying point for artists, intellectuals, and homosexuals in the 1960s. Actor Takeshi Kitano, painter Taro Okamoto, transvestite actress Akihiro Miwa, poet Gozo Yoshimasu, and filmmaker Shuji Terayama frequented it.
In the Golden Gai, a small block located east of Kabukicho, many bars have been haunts of artists and protesters.
Folk Guerilla Concerts In 1969, anti-war group Beheiren organized folk concerts in Shinjuku station. A batch of Japanese anti-Vietnam War activists gathered and were termed "folk guerrillas". In July, a fight with riot police led to the dispersal of the concerts and the arrests of musicians.
Demonstrations On October 21, 1969, an International Anti-War Day demonstration was violently suppressed, so much so that the daily newspaper Asahi ran the following day's headline: "Guerrilla Warfare in the Heart of Shinjuku."
In 1991, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government moved from the Marunouchi district of Chiyoda to the current building in Shinjuku (the Tokyo International Forum stands at the former site vacated by the government).
Geography
Most of Shinjuku is occupied by the Yodobashi Plateau, the most elevated portion of which extends through most of the Shinjuku Station area. The Kanda River runs through the Ochiai and Totsuka areas near sea level, but the Toshima Plateau also builds elevation in the northern extremities of Totsuka and Ochiai. The highest point in Shinjuku is Hakone-san in Toyama Park, 44.6 m above sea level.
Shinjuku is surrounded by Chiyoda to the east; Bunkyo and Toshima to the north; Nakano to the west, and Shibuya and Minato to the south.Tokyo Special Wards Map
The current city of Shinjuku grew out of several separate towns and villages, which have retained some distinctions despite growing together as part of the Tokyo metropolis.
East Shinjuku : the area east of Shinjuku Station between Higashi-Shinjuku Station and Shinjuku-sanchome Station, historically known as Naito-Shinjuku, houses the city hall and the flagship Isetan department store, as well as several famous districts : Kabukichō: the red-light district, renowned for its variety of bars, restaurants, and sex-related establishments near Seibu-Shinjuku Station. Golden Gai: an area of tiny shanty-style bars and clubs, where musicians, artists, journalists, actors and directors used to gather. Shinjuku Gyo-en: A large park, 58.3 hectares, blending Japanese traditional, English landscape and French formal style gardens. Shinjuku Ni-chōme: Tokyo's best-known gay district. Nishi-Shinjuku: The area west of Shinjuku Station, historically known as Yodobashi, is home to Tokyo's largest concentration of skyscrapers. Several of the tallest buildings in Tokyo are located in this area, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, KDDI Building and Park Tower.
Ochiai: The northwestern corner of Shinjuku, extending to the area around Ochiai-minami-nagasaki Station and the south side of Mejiro Station, is largely residential with a small business district around Nakai Station. Ōkubo: The area surrounding Okubo and Shin-Okubo Station is best known as Tokyo's historic ethnic Korean neighborhood. Shinanomachi : A district reputed to be the headquarters of a Buddhist organization, which owns many buildings there. Totsuka: The northern portion of Shinjuku surrounding Takadanobaba Station and Waseda University, today commonly referred to as Nishi-Waseda. The Takadanobaba area is a major residential and nightlife area for students, as well as a commuter hub. Toyama: A largely residential and school area, in the east of Ōkubo and south of Waseda University, extending to the area around Nishi-Waseda Station, Gakushuin Women's College and Toyama Park. Ushigome: A largely residential area in the eastern portion of the city. Ichigaya: A commercial area in eastern Shinjuku, site of the Ministry of Defense. Kagurazaka: A hill descending to the Iidabashi Station area, once one of Tokyo's last remaining hanamachi or geisha districts, and currently known for hosting a sizable French community. Yotsuya: An upscale residential and commercial district in the southeast corner of Shinjuku. The Arakichō area is well known for its many small restaurants, bars, and izakaya.
"Shinjuku" is often popularly understood to mean the entire area surrounding Shinjuku Station, but the Shinjuku Southern Terrace complex and the areas to the west of the station and south of Kōshū Kaidō are part of the Yoyogi and Sendagaya districts of the special ward of Shibuya.
Districts and neighborhoods
Ushigome Area Ageba-chō Akagishitamachi Akagimotomachi Babashitamachi Bentenchō Enokimachi Fukuromachi Haraikata-chō Haramachi Higashienokichō Higashigoken-chō Ichigayachōenjimachi Ichigayadaimachi Ichigayafunagawaramachi Ichigayahachiman-chō Ichigayahonmura-chō Ichigayakaga-chō
Ichigayakōrachō Ichigayanakano-chō Ichigayasadohara-chō Ichigayasanai-chō Ichigayata-chō Ichigayatakajōmachi Ichigayayakuouji-chō Ichigayayamabushichō Ichigayayanagi-chō Iwato-chō Kaguragashi Kagurazaka Kaitaichō Kikuichō Kitamachi Kitayamabushichō Kōdachō
Minamienokichō Minamimachi Minamiyamabushi-chō Nakamachi Nakazatochō Nandochō Nijūkimachi Nishigoken-chō Nishi-Waseda* Saikuchō Shimomiyabi-chō Shinogawamachi Shiroganechō Suidōmachi Sumiyoshi-chō Tansumachi
Tenjinmachi Tomihisa-chō Toyama* Tsukiji-chō Tsukudo-chō Tsukudohachimanchō Wakamatsumachi Wakamiyachō Waseda-chō Wasedaminamimachi Wasedatsurumaki-chō Wasedamachi Yamabuki-chō Yaraimachi Yochō-machi* Yokoteramachi
Yodobashi Area Kamiochiai Kitashinjuku Nakai Nakaochiai Ōkubo Shimoochiai Takadanobaba Totsuka-chō Nishiochiai Nishishinjuku Hyakuninmachi Kabukichō* Shinjuku* Toyama* Nishi-Waseda* Yochō-chō*
Yotsuya Area Aizumichō Arakimachi Daikyōmachi Funamachi Kabukichō* Kasumigaokachō Katamachi Minamimotomachi Naitōchō Samonmachi Shinanomachi Shinjuku* Sugamachi Wakaba Yotsuya Yotsuyahonshiochō Yotsuyasakamachi Yotsuyasaneichō
Economy
The area surrounding Shinjuku Station is a major economic hub of Tokyo. Many companies have their headquarters or Tokyo offices in this area, including regional telephone operator NTT East, global camera and medical device manufacturer Olympus Corporation, electronics giant Seiko Epson,"Head Office & Japanese Facilities." Seiko Epson. Retrieved on January 13, 2009. video game developer Square Enix, fast food chains McDonald's Japan and Yoshinoya, travel agency H.I.S.,"Company Info." H.I.S. Retrieved on March 11, 2010. Subaru Corporation (Subaru)," ." Fuji Heavy Industries and Subaru. railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway, construction giants Taisei Corporation"Corporate Data ." Taisei Corporation. Retrieved on February 20, 2012. "Head Office 1-25-1, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-0606" and Kumagai Gumi,"Corporate Profile ." Kumagai Gumi. Retrieved on August 30, 2017. "Headquarters 2-1, Tsukudo-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8557" medical equipment manufacturer Nihon Kohden,"Key Facts." Nihon Kohden. Retrieved on August 9, 2015. Enoki Films,"Home." Enoki Films. Retrieved on March 23, 2014. "Enoki Bldg., No. 2, 1-30-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022 Japan" navigation software company Jorudan,"Headquarter." Jorudan. Retrieved on January 7, 2011. "ZIP 160-0022 2-1-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan" (map) instant noodle giant Nissin Foods,"Company Profile." Nissin Foods. Retrieved on August 15, 2009. automotive components manufacturer Keihin Corporation,"Company Overview ." Keihin Corporation. Retrieved on May 23, 2018. and regional airline Airtransse. The station area also hosts numerous major retailers such as Isetan, Takashimaya, Marui, Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camera and Yamada Denki.