Kabukicho

Kabukicho is Tokyo's most famous entertainment district, a compact grid of streets just north of Shinjuku Station that blazes with neon from dusk until dawn. Often billed as Japan's largest 'sleepless town', it is a dense, exhilarating tangle of restaurants, izakaya, karaoke parlours, cinemas, arcades, live-music venues, and nightlife of every description, all stacked into narrow buildings whose signage climbs storey upon storey toward the sky.

The district takes its name from a kabuki theatre that was planned here after the war but never built; the name stuck even though the theatre did not. What grew instead was one of Asia's most concentrated nightlife zones. The iconic red arched gate on the south side, and the enormous Godzilla head that peers down from atop the Toho cinema building, have become defining landmarks, the Godzilla in particular now a favourite photo stop and a symbol of the district's theatrical, larger-than-life character.

For visitors, Kabukicho after dark is pure sensory spectacle. The main streets are a wall of light, the air smells of grilled skewers and ramen, and the crowds surge past barkers, buskers, and glowing vending machines. Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho, the atmospheric warrens of tiny post-war bars, sit right on its fringes, and the whole area rewards aimless wandering. Newer additions such as a towering entertainment-and-hotel complex have brought rooftop bars, a dramatic themed restaurant, and a live house that draws big crowds, layering fresh energy over the old.

It is worth being clear-eyed about the district's reputation. Kabukicho has a long association with adult entertainment and, historically, organised crime, and parts of it are frankly seedy. In practice, for the ordinary tourist sticking to the busy, well-lit main streets, it is safe and endlessly fascinating. The one firm rule is to ignore street touts entirely: reputable bars and clubs never solicit customers on the pavement, and following a tout is the surest way to end up in an overpriced or outright scam venue. Choose your own spot and you will have a great, trouble-free night.

A highlight is simply the contrast Kabukicho offers to the rest of orderly, restrained Tokyo, this is the city letting its hair down, brash and unfiltered, and experiencing it is a rite of passage for many first-time visitors.

Accessibility is excellent: the area is flat and only five minutes on foot from the world's busiest station, and it never closes, so you can arrive at any hour. There is no admission to the district itself; you pay only for whatever food, drink, or entertainment you choose.

The best time to visit is unquestionably after dark, when the neon reaches full intensity and the streets come alive; arriving around 19:00 or later gives you the full effect.

Getting there is easy. From JR Shinjuku Station, served by the Yamanote loop and many other lines, take the East Exit and walk five minutes north across Yasukuni-dori to the red gate. Seibu-Shinjuku Station sits right at the district's edge, and the Marunouchi subway line also stops nearby.