What to know when using Shinjuku Station - one of the most easy-to-get-lost stations in Japan
Located west of Central Tokyo, Shinjuku Station is the transport hub where millions of people come and go in a day. The Shinjuku Station is a complex of train/subway stations, being a maze with multiple entrances, makes you easily lose your way.
Shinjuku Station is a multiple-floor building, has ticket gates on different floors
Shinjuku Station or Shinjuku Eki 新宿駅 is a large train station spread in both a horizontal and vertical way, includes department stores on the upper floors and restaurant districts in the underground.
Shinjuku Station South Exit
Walking through the inside of the station from one end to the other will be 9 minutes (12 minutes if it includes subway stations), and it will be much more time if you get out the station from a wrong ticket gate, not allows re-entering without a fare. It is advised that you make sure which Exit is the best to reach your destination before getting out of the station. For example, If you go to Tokyo City Hall, West Exit is the closest. It looks Central West Exit is closer, but it is complicated and more time-consuming. To avoid wasting time finding your exit, check the direction on the yellow guideboard at the platform right after you get off the train. The point is to get the direction before to start heading.
East-West Passage opened for a short cut
In July 2020, a walk-through opened at the station's northern area where people can go through from west to east side of the station without entering a ticket gate. The passage is about 3-min in the distance, which can be a time saving when you got out from a ticket gate on the wrong side and need to go to the opposite.
What to know for changing trains at Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station is composed of several stations operated by different railway companies. The train station, generally called "Shinjuku Station" includes JR Shinjuku Station operated by JR East Railway Company, the core of the transport hub, and other stations served by different train/subway companies such as Odakyu Railway and Keio Corporation. These stations are called "Odakyu-Shinjuku Station" or "Keio- Shinjuku station" to distinguish from JR Shinjuku Station.
If you change trains operated by different railway companies at Shinjuku Station, from JR line to Keio's line, you need to get out of the JR station and get into Keio station. In this case, getting out the JR station from Central West Exit is the quickest as the Keio station's ticket gate is directly at the exit. However, it is easier for first comers to go out from the South Exit, then enter Keio Station.
There is one more station called "Seibu-Shinjuku Station", about 3 minutes walk from EAST EXIT of JR Shinjuku Station.
Keio- and Odakyu-Shinjuku stations are adjacent to the JR station. However, Seibu-Shinjuku is not. If you change trains from JR to Seibu Line, go out from the East Exit of the JR station, and walk down the road on the left, you will see the station building across the way.
JR Shinjuku Station East Exit
Seibu shinjuku Station BuildingRelated Information
JR-EAST (East Japan Railway Company)
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/
Keio Corporation
https://www.keio.co.jp/english/
Odakyu Railway
https://www.odakyu.jp/english/index_after/
Seibu Railway
https://www.seiburailway.jp/railways/tourist/english/
Toei Subway
https://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/eng/
Tokyo Metro
https://www.tokyometro.jp/lang_en/index.html
Updated on July 2020
