the entertainment districts of the yamanote... part 1 : December 14 2024

a day ago · 6 min read · Shinjuku

i knew that i had a dentist appointment later that afternoon, so by 3:45 i headed to the clinic. on my way, i rechecked my schedule just to find out that i was 45 minutes late. don't you just hate how you were busy preparing for something yet got the time wrong. i ended up rescheduling to january of next year.

with nothing else to do, decided to continue my walking series of strolling around the great circular yamanote train line loop. here is where we are at so far.

strolling around the yamanote	stations
urban walking along the yamanote : August 17 2024	nippori (日暮里) to ikebukuro (池袋)
along the yamanote down south : August 22 2024	nishi-nippori (西日暮里) to tokyo (東京)
yamanote and lady luck : September 3 2024	tokyo (東京) to takanawa gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ)
nostalgic sections of the yamanote : November 15 2024	takanawa gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ) to shibuya (渋谷)

i technically have 6 stations left to visit, so here i went straight to where i left of the last time.

shibuya (渋谷)

the ride to this station was just so unfortunate, first the train was packed and sadly a passenger close to where i was standing must have had the worst gas problem. he or she was leaking from time to time and it was just so awful. i could have just moved away but that is not possible in a packed train.

i reached shibuya at sunset, the colors were not pronounced but that was the last daylight you can see in this trip. the 5th busiest according to boarding passenger data, the place exudes a rich glamorous and hip aura.

the decorations were of a higher level, your eyes will truly marvel at how things are in shibuya, definitely a must visit for foreign travelers.

i gradually waded in the enormous crowd as i made my way towards the next station on the list. midway, the Kitaya Inari Shrine (北谷稲荷神社) was a surprise to me. i knew that it was a shrine from the torii gate at the bottom of the stairs, but oh my, it was a very modern structure at the top. gone are the traditional building components, but the traditional customs are still very evident.

harajuku (原宿)

i was first welcomed by the bright lights decorating the streets toward the high-end brand centric shopping area of omotesando. together, the shopping areas of harajuku and omotesando captures both the rich sophisticated taste, and the young urban rizz people are hungry for.

harajuku, the 64th busiest boarding station, if there was an offboard statistics then probably this station would also be up there on the list. i do have a sad feeling of this station and i might have already expressed that in previous entries as well. the old station had a wooden structure on it's facade, the oldest wooden station structure in tokyo built from 1924. but that was demolished in 2020 to make way for this new modern station, and that met criticisms. but good news, the wooden components were kept by the company and was announced to be rebuilt on 2026. ^source

new buildings are sprouting in harajuku. but takeshita street is still the main attraction in the area, the center for youth culture and fashion.

yoyogi (代々木)

the stretch between these two stations was the longest i think, and one of the reasons for that was the lack of activity. i was following the yellow trail moving forward, was excited while on it, but then it became residential. that went on for quite a while.

until finally i came back to some activity, shops are again sprouting. and here we are at the station. i was surprised at first, everything was new to me until i realized that i have never got out of this station, and that explains it. yoyogi is the 76th busiest based on 2023 statistics, not surprised. the area was quaint, small town center vibes, a very stark contrast to the next major station in line.

i was surprised by the number of tunnels and open pedestrian crossing train tracks. this is dangerous if you think more about it, just glad that no major accidents happened in here from recent history. i was still busy looking at the shops yoyogi offered, and just that quickly, i arrived at the next station.

shinjuku (新宿)

this station needs no introduction really, the busiest in japan and even in the world. hailed as the world's busiest station, 2.7 million average passengers per day according to 2022 data. remember that viral video of train cars so full that train staff had to push people in just for the doors to close, that was in shinjuku, the proverbial busy station.

and that number of passengers will require a wide station, which shinjuku is. i still remember those times i had to navigate and reach specific exits of this station, very easy to get lost indeed. and the outside is as much confusing, a very very wide metro with so many things to do.

buildings in this area are as exciting as the city itself; that cocoon tower is a fashion school. and the everlasting rows of restaurants and drinking shops are must tries. Omoide Yokocho (思い出横丁), an alley just on the west exit of the station is a tourist favorite.

and who wouldn't forget the kabukicho (歌舞伎町) district. just look at that very welcoming gate amidst neon lights. just a little history, a kabuki theater was planned but never been built in the area, but the name stuck.

often called the sleepless town, kabukicho hosts a lot of nightclubs, bars, pubs, restaurants, all sorts of entertainment. always bright and always lively, this area is teeming with life in whichever direction you look at.

and when i say all sorts of entertainment, i mean "all sorts" of entertainment. hostess and host clubs are at a very high concentration in this area as well. and nearby are the hotels, you wouldn't need to get out of this district at all. shinjuku surely sizzles even in winter.

allow me to cut the entry in half. when this entry is all about entertainment, the second half is equally entertaining. this nightwalker, walking in winter, did not feel that cold weather at all. i was all entertaining.

as always, AMPING KANUNAY!

^{JR train statistics source}