Hi all! It’s now November in Japan and luckily, Tokyo actually has four seasons, so it has been a beautiful last two months with highs consistently in and around the upper 60’s F/low 20’s C. That being said, I abhor the cold and I hate going out in the winter, but when I’m trying to go anywhere from school, to work, to a specific restaurant, or to have fun with friends, I am traveling through, transferring at, or getting off at Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku is considered the busiest of the 23 wards of Tokyo, as it is a business, shopping, and entertainment district all at once. Shinjuku Station holds the Guinness World Record for Busiest Train Station in the World at 3.64 million passengers a day (measured in 2007), which is five times the traffic of Grand Central Station in New York City; it is probably one of the busiest buildings in the world. The station, with its 53 total train platforms, multiple floors, and well over 200 exits, is also connected to multiple department stores. Even with Google Maps in my hand and practically all signage in the station having English sub-text, it is a nightmare to navigate. I asked my Japanese friends if they ever get lost in Shinjuku station, to which they laughed and said “maybe only you do.” Trust me, I’m not the only person getting lost in Shinjuku Station.

As horrifying and hair-pulling of an experience I am making Shinjuku Station seem, I have some tips for you if you ever find yourself desperately wandering the long stretches of this station. 1. Google Maps is your friend (sorry Apple Maps). I usually use Apple Maps in America, but it honestly does not work very well at all in Tokyo (believe me, I tried and gave up in a day). If, like me, you are unfortunate enough that your favorite restaurant happens to be located in Shinjuku Station, then Google Maps can generally get you there, albeit you may be on the wrong floor. I don’t actually follow the walking directions it gives me because they are too vague, so I just use the compass on my phone or rely on the in-app compass in Google Maps to go in the general direction of my destination. 2. Sometimes you just have to get out of the station as quickly as possible and leave via the first exit you find. And even then, sometimes the exits are hard to find, as the exit signs also point to the aforementioned department stores, which are just as frustrating to find an exit in. 3. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, the police or a station clerk may be able to help you. You may have a hard time finding someone who can speak English to you, but as long as you can say “X wa doko desu ka?”, which means “where is X?”, you may get a solution. The people working at the station are very helpful too; if they can’t speak English well enough for you, they will usually find or call someone who can. 4. If it’s still no dice, I might ask a not-confused looking foreign person. Honestly. If someone who might be living in Tokyo and is a little more adjusted to the monster that is Shinjuku Station passes by, they might be able to help you find where you’re trying to go. 5. Finally, if you STILL can’t get where you’re trying to go, I would a) find somewhere else to eat, b) call your friend and ask them to meet elsewhere, or c) relax in one of the many, many cafés in Shinjuku Station and try again once you have your wits about you.

All the negativity of getting lost in another country aside, Shinjuku Station is also extremely convenient, as just about everything I am ever looking for is within a half mile walk (if I know exactly where I’m going) of the station. There are also tons of great restaurants and shops in the station, so if you’re too tired to go find somewhere to eat or get coffee and you’re transferring at or passing through the station, it’s all right there. And if you’re using the station as a train station and not a mall, the signage is pretty clear in telling you where to go. There are a few different train companies that run through Shinjuku, so as long as you know which company you are riding with (which is very easy to find out on a smartphone or a map/information desk at the station), you should be able to get to that company’s platforms, and from there, finding your way to the right platform is even easier. Please look at a couple photos I’ve taken at Shinjuku Station below (including photos of the signage, a map of the station, a photo of me in a train car and my favorite meal here in Tokyo after I took a few bites and forgot to take the photo), thank you so much for reading and I’ll be back with a new post next month!