Shinjuku Station was a real rabbit’s warren full of corridors all looking virtually the same, and interconnecting tunnels like in a maze. Fortunately, I had downloaded a PDF map of the station beforehand, so we managed to make our way to the West Exit (西口).
We then took a taxi (very short trip) to our hotel, the Shinjuku New City Hotel (新宿ニューシティホテル).
It’s not a very big hotel – it’s a “businessman’s hotel” which means it’s in a convenient location, not too expensive, but features free breakfast every morning and free Internet connection. We requested a room with windows that can be opened, and were allocated rooms at the back facing an alley way but at least it did have openable windows which means I can sleep at night without turning the air-conditioning on.
After unpacking, showering and changing clothes, we decided to venture outside. The weather was pretty gloomy, and it started drizzling when we stepped out. The hotel faces Shinjuku Central Park (新宿中央公園)
We walked along a street cutting across the park (we could have walked in the park itself, but I didn’t want to get my shoes muddy).
And right outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower (東京都庁舎) we saw our first cherry blossom! The red aluminum and stainless steel sculpture in the left of the photo is called 朱甲容 (Vermillion shell?)
The pale pink flowers on the willow like branches are called the Shidarezakura (weeping cherry) blossom (枝垂れ桜).
And the darker pink buds in the tree in front are (I think) the yaezakura (double flowered cherry) blossom (八重桜).
The Tochomae subway station (都庁前駅) is located right outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower (the name 都庁前 literally means “in front of the Metropolitan Government”) – some bicycles are parked outside the station entrance. The Keio Plaza Hotel is right next to the station. Across the road, we looked back at Central Park and saw a gigantic waterfall.
Since it was raining, we walked in the underground pedestrian mall underneath Chuo Doori (中央通り), which is the street leading into the Shinjuku Station West Entrance (新宿駅西口). We also had lunch in one of the restaurants around here.
We had lunch here at this Chinese restaurant – I remember I ate Ma Po To Fu – it’s was lunch special for 1000 yen.
At the end of the mall is the modernistic Odakyu HALC (小田急ハルクビール) shopping centre.
The HALC contains the Odakyu department store (小田急百貨店) and a large Bic Camera (ビックカメラ) store with multiple floors.
It started raining quite heavily when we reached the HALC.
This is the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (モード学園コクーンタワ): would you believe it’s a school – well, actually three schools located in the futuristic building – Tokyo Mode Gakuen (fashion vocational school), HAL Tokyo (special technology and design college), and Shuto Ikō (medical college). According to Wikipedia, building is “completed in October 2008, the tower is the second-tallest educational building in the world and is the 17th-tallest building in Tokyo. It was awarded the 2008 Skyscraper of the Year by Emporis.com.” At the time we visited Japan, the building was still under construction (hence the crane on top).
Outside the HALC is the Shinjuku bus plaza.
Behind the HALC is a busy shopping street leading into the Shinjuku Nishigushi station (a satellite subway train station linked to the main Shinjuku station).
The Odakyu and Keio department stores.
It’s been a long day, we were soon tired, so back to the hotel room (we bought some takeout food from the basement of one of the department stores).
Lyn resting in a yukata.
