Kabukicho Guide | Getting There from Shinjuku Station, Seeing the Godzilla Head, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, and Official Rules (Touting and Smoking on the Street)
Kabukicho is an entertainment district northeast of Shinjuku Station, full of restaurants, cinemas, and hotels. Using official information and photos taken on site, this guide explains how to get there from Shinjuku Station, the Ichibangai gate, the Shinjuku Toho Building with the Godzilla Head, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, and the Shinjuku City ordinances and official rules (touting and smoking on the street).
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Overview
Kabukicho is an entertainment district on the northeast side of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Restaurants, karaoke venues, cinemas, theaters, and hotels are concentrated here, and the area stays busy until late at night.
- There is no charge to enter. Anyone can walk through it, just like any ordinary street.
- On the 8F terrace of the Shinjuku Toho Building is a giant head of Godzilla from the films (the Godzilla Head). You can see it by looking up from the street.
- Shinjuku City has designated Kabukicho 1-chome, 2-chome, and other areas as a district where touting is prohibited. In addition, anywhere within Shinjuku City, you may not smoke on the street. Details are in the “Good to know” section of this article.
Getting there
Nearest stations
| Destination | Station | Time from the station |
|---|---|---|
| Shinjuku Toho Building (Godzilla Head, Hotel Gracery Shinjuku) | Shinjuku Station (East Exit) | 5 minutes' walk |
| Shinjuku Toho Building (Godzilla Head, Hotel Gracery Shinjuku) | Seibu-Shinjuku Station | 3 minutes' walk |
| Tokyu Kabukicho Tower | Seibu-Shinjuku Station | 1 minute's walk |
| Tokyu Kabukicho Tower | Shinjuku Station | 7 minutes' walk |
| Tokyu Kabukicho Tower | Shinjuku-sanchome Station | 8 minutes' walk |
Walking times are as given on each facility's official website.
The Ichibangai gate
One of the entrances to Kabukicho is a red arched gate reading “歌舞伎町一番街” (Kabukicho Ichibangai). As you walk along the streets of Kabukicho, you can see the Shinjuku Toho Building and the Godzilla Head between the buildings.
Street signposts
The streets have signposts showing destinations in Japanese and English. The signpost in the photo pointed the way to “新宿区役所 Shinjuku City Office” and carried an area sign reading “Welcome to KABUKICHO.”
Highlights
Godzilla Head (Shinjuku Toho Building)
The Godzilla Head is a life-size Godzilla head on the 8F terrace of the Shinjuku Toho Building. Tokyo's official tourism website introduces it as a landmark of Kabukicho.
- Anyone can see it for free by looking up from the street. It is visible from Ichibangai and from the street in front of the building.
- The upper floors of the Shinjuku Toho Building are Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. According to the hotel, it has 970 guest rooms. The hotel has guest rooms where you can see the Godzilla Head outside the window, and a lounge (GRACERY LOUNGE) where you can see the Godzilla Head up close. The hotel's information does not say whether people who are not staying at the hotel can enter the lounge.
- Official information does not give the times when Godzilla roars or when the light shows take place.
- To coincide with the opening of the Shinjuku Toho Building in 2015, Shinjuku City issued Godzilla a special certificate of residence and appointed it as a tourism ambassador for Shinjuku.
The hotel entrance has the words “HOTEL GRACERY.”
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower is a tall building in Kabukicho. According to its official website, it houses a hotel, theaters, and a cinema, and the floors from 1F to 5F are for restaurants and entertainment venues. Shinjuku City's information calls the plaza in front of the building “Cinecity Hiroba” (hiroba means plaza), and it is sometimes used for events.
Nearby sights
- Hanazono Shrine: A Shinto shrine to the east of Kabukicho. Every November, stalls line the grounds during Tori-no-Ichi. For details, see Hanazono Shrine Guide | Getting There from Shinjuku Station, Tori-no-Ichi 2026 Dates, Aozora Kotto-ichi Antique Market, and Shrine Etiquette.
Good to know
Don't follow street touts
By ordinance, Shinjuku City has designated Kabukicho 1-chome and 2-chome and other areas as a “specific district for the prevention of touting and similar acts.” In this district, touting—approaching people on the street and other public places to bring them into a shop—is prohibited.
- The city gives guidance, warnings, and recommendations to people who tout. If they do not comply, they may have their names published or be subject to a non-criminal fine (an administrative penalty requiring payment of money). Shops that employ touts are also covered.
- Shops are prohibited from letting in customers who were brought by touts.
Don't smoke on the street
Anywhere within Shinjuku City, the city prohibits smoking on the street and holding a lit cigarette there. This applies whether you are walking or standing still. Heated tobacco products are also covered. Please smoke only in designated smoking areas.
If you need help
- Phone numbers to call if you are injured or run into trouble are listed in Emergency Numbers in Japan | Police 110, Ambulance 119, and Help in English.
- On the street in the photo, there were also no-littering signs from Shinjuku Police Station and Shinjuku City. Take your trash with you or put it in a shop's trash bin.