bon voyage
After midnight in Shinjuku

July, four nights

After midnight in Shinjuku

Shinjuku

Planned by Theo Park

Seoul

Tokyo after midnight is a different city. I packed a Suica and a rain jacket.

Place
Shinjuku
Tokyo, Japan
Family
1 adult
Solo. Night walks, transit maps, the first train out.
Hotel
Hotel Niwa-kan
Business hotel · 4 nights
Ride
Suica, no car
Trains

Goes into your bag. Sit at a table so friends can pack next to you.

Where they slept

Hotel Niwa-kan

The hotel

Hotel Niwa-kan

Business hotel · 4 nights · Shinjuku

A compact room near Shinjuku-sanchome. The window faces an alley, not a tower. That is the point.

How they moved

Suica, no car

How they moved

Suica, no car

Trains

Suica on the phone. The third unmarked alley is usually the one. A taxi only after the last train.

The days

1

Day 1

Land and walk

Shinjuku

  1. Narita Express in.
  2. Leave the bag. Walk until you are hungry.
  3. Golden Gai only if you can stand still.
2

Day 2

Rain, then neon

Shinjuku

  1. Morning in a kissaten.
  2. Bookstores in Jimbocho.
  3. Back to Shinjuku after midnight. The alley after rain is the frame.
3

Day 3

A crossing, then leave it

Shinjuku

  1. Shibuya once, for the theater.
  2. Then Onomichi or Shimokitazawa. Anywhere quieter.
  3. Last train home.
4

Day 4

The first train out

Shinjuku

  1. One more alley at dawn.
  2. Narita Express. No extra day.

Postcards from this trip