Shinjuku or Shibuya

I will be in Japan for 33 days starting May 3rd. The first 6 nights I am spending in Tokyo. It will be my first visit.

I would like to stay in an area of Tokyo where I can experience the best of modern Japan and Tokyo%26#39;s urban intensity. After Tokyo I will be travelling through western Japan and Kyushu and have the chance to experience the more traditional Japan.

I am considering the Lonestar City Hotel in Shinjuku and the Granbell Shibuya (which is $30 a night more for a single).

I am not looking for bars and nightlife particularly but for street life, people watching cafes that sort of thing. I%26#39;m the kind of person who would be happy to watch Shibuya Crossing for hours I think.

What is the difference between these two areas?

Shinjuku or Shibuya

The two areas are actually fairly similar. They are both neon lights and shopping galore. Shinjuku is a bit more complete and trends a bit more mature. Overall, I%26#39;d pick Shinjuku because from a transportation perspective, it%26#39;s a bit more convenient than Shibuya.

Shinjuku or Shibuya

Hi,

People watching in Shibuya Crossing is one of the thing to do in Japan.

You may want to take a subway and check out the night scene in Roppongi area

Cheers!

Bernard

I%26#39;d also go to Shinjuku. Shibuya seemed to have a younger crowd, but Shinjuku was a more bustling place.

They%26#39;re not that far from each other, so whichever one you choose, you have easy access to the other.

Definitely Shibuya for the super-modern feel. Shinjuku is not bad--it%26#39;s the ';in'; place in the 90s, whereas Shibuya is the ';in'; place in the current decade.

Around Shibuya major crossing, you will find an amazing lineup of cute cafes and boulangeries for people watching. This is the neighborhood that trendy yuppies and young people flock to after work. It%26#39;s also the center of many similarly plush and chic areas such as Harajuku, Aoyama, Daikanyama, Meguro, and Nakameguro.

Shinjuku is mainly divided into the west side and the east side by the massive station. West Shinjuku is the home to skyscrapers and office buildings. At night, it%26#39;s darn quiet. The area closer to the station in East Shinjuku is Kabukicho, which is the red-light district. It%26#39;s not sleazy like Bangkok or Rue St. Denis in Paris, but it%26#39;s just not cute for people watching. Farther from the station is Shinjuku-3-chome, which is a more ';real'; neighborhood, which has various eateries for down-to-earth locals (with several awesome ramen shops!!!). I suppose you know this too, as reflected by your choice of the Lonestar Hotel. The issue of this district is that it lacks quaint cafes with comfortable seating for day-long people watching. It%26#39;s an area developed in the 70s and 80s, before the cafe or yuppie culture began.

In both locations, you will find some good izakayas (Japanese style bars). It%26#39;s an excellent way to mix with the locals.

You should learn a few phrases in Japanese to facilitate communication with locals. At many great small local restaurants, no English is spoken at all. A good book to buy is ';World Food: Japan'; published by Lonely Planet. I don%26#39;t remember if I liked the restaurant recommendations (for this purpose, keep asking us questions in this forum), but the glossary is very detailed. It was printed in 2002 and thus check for updates about certain destinations such as the Tsukiji Fish Market, the auction area of which will be soon closed to tourists (I think it%26#39;s still worth visiting though).

amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-World-Food-Guides/d鈥?/a>

Anyway, back to your original topic, I still prefer Shibuya to Shinjuku-3-chome. Shibuya is so unique that you won%26#39;t find another area in the entire country that exudes the same level of vibrancy. Yet, you will easily find locales almost identical to Shinjuku-3-chome in other cities such as Osaka or Fukuoka.

Cityhotel Lonestar is in Shinjuku 2-chome, 10-15 min. walk from the hustle bustle of entertainment/shopping area in Shinjuku. 2-chome is a gay entertainment area which comes alive at night but deserted during the day except for a few book/video stores.

if you take the closest metro stop, 3-chome to get to/from your hotel, you won%26#39;t see much shopping and there is virtually no neon.

Have you considered other hotels? I just read the TA reviews about the Granbell--it seems like there is some construction going on. Likewise, from the Japanese version of Lonestar%26#39;s website, there is internal renovation that may not be complete by the time you travel (your trip starts in May, right?).

In Shibuya, you should consider Excel (some rooms offer a view of the major crossing but the rates are not cheap), Mets, and Tokyu Stay Shin-minamiguchi. Tokyu Stay is an apartment style hotel and most of their rooms are equipped with a kitchenette.

By the way, I contacted the Lonestar City Hotel in Shinjuku today and the renovations were completed in February.

I%26#39;m able to get a single there for 7350 yen a night for the first 3 nights, 5880 yen for the 4th night, and 6615 yen for the 5th night. So I think I%26#39;ll stay there. It%26#39;s a Lonely Planet pick and the website looks good. The Granbell has offered me a rate of 11,500/night for a single.

I live in the centre of gay Vancouver and I have visited most of the major gay urban centres around the world, so I am sure it will be interesting for me being in the thick of Tokyo%26#39;s gay scene eventho%26#39; I%26#39;m a little long in the tooth now and rarely venture into gay bars anymore.

So do you recommend the Lonestar City Hotel? I%26#39;m going in the summer and came across this hotel, which seems to be good really good value - the website shows very nice rooms. Did you have a good stay there?

reptiles