Shinjuku Station

Shinjuku Station South Entrance Tokyo

Shinjuku Station is by far the busiest station in the world, with over 3.5 million passengers using it every day. With 36 platforms and five different transportation companies operating lines through it, Shinjuku is a major train transportation hub. Add to that an underground shopping arcade and about 200 exits, and the place can be a nightmare to navigate.

Queue here for green tea doughnuts

It is best to plan your trip in advance so you know what gates to enter and exit, or what lines you are looking for. For example, ask your hotel for the gate name and number so that you don’t randomly leave the station and need to circle around for familiar landmarks. Inside, signs are posted up high, above the crowds. First go to the section of the station that you need, such as the Tokyo Metro or the Toei Subway lines. You need to pass a ticket gate to enter the different companies, to check that you are at the right one. Then enter and look for the proper rail line.

Kimonos at shinjuku station

If possible, avoid the rush hours around 8 – 9 am and 5 – 6 pm. These have the greatest concentration of crowds on the trains and in the station itself, and getting around with children is especially difficult.

For someone who has not experienced a train at rush hour, it can be very daunting. Unless you wait for an hour or so and wait for the crowds to lessen, you will learn to firmly push yourself on to the train once it is ready to board. Somehow space will open up in the train carriage even though you may know your fellow passenger closer than you have been to most of your family! Get used to it, everyone needs to get to their destination, and this is normal life in Tokyo, so everyone understands when you push in to the train.

Tokyo train station rush hour

The JR East website has a good map of the train portion, but not the rest of the station: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e866.html There is also a PDF file of the Shinjuku station map that you can download.