Shinjuku VS Shibuya Which One is Better? The Definitive Guide

Shinjuku VS Shibuya Which One is Better? The Definitive Guide

There are a lot of great spots to stay in Tokyo, but two keep coming up in particular. Shinjjuku versus Shibuya. Which one is better? The two busiest train stations in the world are here in these two spots for a reason because everyone floods to them. But which one is better? Should you stay in one or the other? Let’s dive into it. The next station is Shinjuku. The next station is Shibuya. Hey guys, Wong here and today we are going to dive into two of the largest hubs in Tokyo and help you figure out which one is best for you. I’d imagine that most people staying in Tokyo are there for at least a few days. And if you have the time to visit both Shinjuku and Shibuya, then you definitely should, as both places have their own distinct differences. They are also very close to each other. However, if you are tight on time and can only visit one, or you’re trying to figure out if you want to stay in one or the other, here are the key points of both to help you make a decision. Starting off with Shinjuku. Shinjjuku houses the world’s busiest train station, serving around 3.6 million people per day. Shinjuku Station is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the astonishing amount of people that pass through the station each year, claiming the title of being the single station with the highest number of annual passengers. There is an astonishing amount of things to do in Shinjjuku, from shopping in the many stores here to eating the amazing food. Shinjjuku has several large parks along with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building which has an observation deck on the 45th floor. And the cool thing about this observation deck is that it is completely free. The Tokyo skyline is absolutely stunning, and being able to view and take photos of it at different times throughout the day and visit as many times as you want is a definite win for this observation deck, as pretty much all of the other major observation decks in Tokyo do require a fee. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is also the Guinness World Record holder for being the tallest city hall in the world at 243 m or 799 ft high. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building also holds the world record for the largest permanent architectural projectionmapped display, which is a stunning light show that started on February 24th, 2024, and is beautiful to see. This light show does project onto the side of the building itself, and it is absolutely spectacular to see, so don’t miss it. Continuing on the topic of world records, Shinjjuku also has the former Guinness Book of World Records recognition for the largest pendulum clock in the world at the Shinjjuku NS building. Though, as of August 2023, the new largest pendulum clock is in Poland. But that doesn’t make this clock in Shinjjuku any less spectacular. The pendulum on the clock itself is so massive it takes 30 seconds to complete one cycle. Shinjjuku also has the most skyscrapers of all the wards in Tokyo, making the area really feel like a true urban landscape, whereas some areas of Tokyo with much less skyscrapers can have a different smaller city vibe. With all of these skyscrapers and neon lights flashing everywhere, you really will feel that iconic downtown Tokyo vibe here. Shinjjuku also has the famous Kabukicho area, which is the entertainment district of Shinjuku and of Tokyo with tons of restaurants, bars, clubs, and it is also known for being the red light district of Tokyo. So, that’s something to be aware of, especially if you have kids with you. There is also the Golden Guy area which is an area filled with tons of bars that are open very late and some people love this vibe. Though some of these places along with some in the red light area don’t take foreigners. So if you are planning on going to these places then look for English signs on them if you want a place that is more friendly to tourists. One other area that is quite unique to Shinjuku is Omoi Day Yoko which is also known as Memory Lane. This very narrow alleyway that you could easily miss just by walking by is a slice of nostalgia for the good old days of Japan. This alley also offers countless small restaurants, some with the singledigit amount of seats, serving mainly Japanese street food like skewers, making this one of the best places in Tokyo to get authentic skewers. In Shinjjuku, you can also try the Shinjjuku Nakajima restaurant, which is one of, if not the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in Japan, if not the world, with meals costing around $1,000 yen or $7. Near the Kabukicho area, you will find the famous Godzilla statue that towers above the buildings. And nearby you will also find the 3D Shinjjuku cat which is pretty famous and fun to watch. Now onto Shibuya. Shabuya houses the world’s second busiest train station serving around 3 million people per day. Just like Shinjjuku, there is an endless amount of things to do here and the shopping is nonstop. If you are into Japanese stores, the flagship mega Don Kyote store is in Shabuya along with a lot of top tier malls and department stores, including the Nike Jordan World of Flight brand store. You can also find the flagship Parkco store in Shabuya, which was recently renovated after its 43-year run and reopened in 2019. The first official Nintendo store was opened in Parkco Mall in Shibuya and is the flagship Nintendo store. Mia Park is a rooftop park with a skate park and areas to just walk and relax. And all of this on top of a mall with plenty of stores to shop and restaurants to eat at. One of the sides of this mall on the outside has a ton of restaurants all lined up. So take a stop here if you are walking from the stores in downtown Shabuya to our next location. Harajuku culture aka the cute Japanese style that’s bright, bold, and a bit over the top sometimes was started in Takashita Street, which is in Shabuya, and is a great place to do both shopping and enjoying street food like snacks and this rainbow cheese coin that I thought would look cool for Instagram, but it did not. Right across the street from Takashita Street is the Yoyo Yogi Park and the Mei Shrine, which is a nice break from the city vibes. If you want to step away from all the urbaness of Shabuya and of Tokyo, back in the heart of Shabuya, you can also go up the Shibuya sky for some amazing views of the city from their observation deck, which is the third tallest in Tokyo. But unlike the one in Shinjuku, it does have an entrance fee, which is $2,700 yen or around $19 before 3 p.m. and $3,400 yen or $24 after 3 p.m. Tickets here do sell out quickly, especially the sunset timed ones, which sell out almost instantly. I have a guide on how to book these extremely coveted sunset timed tickets. So, if that’s something you’re interested in, go ahead and check that out. The Shabuya Sky observation deck is right next to the Guinness world record holding crosswalk. The world famous Shabuya Scramble Crossing is where you can witness the world’s busiest crosswalk and see what it feels like to be part of the thousands of people crossing this single crosswalk. If you’ve seen a crosswalk in Tokyo, then odds are it’s this one. The main gate out of Shibuya Station is the Hatiko Gate, which is currently under construction. And I’ll get back to this in a bit. The Hiko Gate is named after the world’s most loyal dog. And the dog, whose name is Hachi, has a statue that stands in front of Hachiko Square, right next to the Shabuya Crossing Scramble. I won’t go into the whole backstory of this dog, but if you want to look it up, it’s interesting and also kind of a sad one. One of my favorite urban photography spots in Tokyo is at the Sakura Stage area of Shabuya Station, which at least as of when I was there a few months ago, doesn’t seem to be super popular yet. So maybe an underrated place. Not sure. But when I was there, it definitely was fairly empty and I basically had the whole area to myself to go and take amazing photos of. So that was a lot of fun. Shabuya is considered the place to be for young people with its lively atmosphere and trendy styles. So which one is better for you? I’ll start off by saying both of these areas are extremely touristy and can be considered tourist traps. They are both very busy and crowded areas with the top two most crowded train stations being in both of these locations. Things in these areas can be more expensive than in other areas of Tokyo, but people love to flood to this area and that’s why there’s so many Reddit posts of people trying to figure out where to stay between the two. Now, let’s look at some of the reasons you might stay in one over the other. Generally speaking, and I mean very generally speaking, Shabuya is a bit more geared towards younger adults, while Shinjjuku is a bit more geared towards older adults. Shinjjuku has some more luxurious hotels and shopping centers than Shabuya and can be a bit more expensive than Shabuya as well. But then again, there are cheaper hotel options in both places. But Shinjuku being a larger area with more buildings has more hotel options. Shabuya having less hotels can be more expensive because of the demand. Shinjjuku also does have the world’s busiest train station, but that also comes at a cost, which is why people often call it the Shinjjuku Labyrinth. With over 200 exits, it’s simply massive, and you definitely can get lost and lose a lot of time in the station itself. but it does have more rail lines as a result, so you can go more places directly. Shinjjuku also is considered a bit more dirty than most of Tokyo. Though, that being said, it still is cleaner than nearly any other city. It’s kind of hard to describe, but if you go to both Shinjuku and Shibuya, you’ll know what I mean. It just feels different in Shinjuku compared to pretty much everywhere else in Tokyo. Shabuya is considered a bit newer, cleaner, and nicer with its more modern city vibe. Shabuya is a very trendy place and doesn’t have the whole red light district vibe. Shabuya station is a bit easier to navigate than Shinjjuku station. Though, that being said, it’s still massive and can be very confusing as it is still the second busiest station in the world. Adding to all of this chaos, Shabuya station is also undergoing massive renovations currently to the main Hiko gate to modernize the over 100year-old station. And the foot traffic is pretty bad right now. So that might make Shabuya station worse until this area finishes up in 2027. Though the station will be under construction for much longer than that. Shibuya has a bit less diversity than Shinjjuku as far as things to do, especially when it comes to night life. So, if you’re really into the nightlife scene and you want to stay in an area that reflects that, then Shinjjuku will be your best bet. If you really prioritize cleanliness and trendiness and you want an area that reflects that, then Shibuya beats out Shinjuku there. Though, as far as cleanliness goes, if you avoid the Kabukicho area of Shinjjuku, then it’s not too bad. Some people really love one or the other, but both places are still really amazing spots and will give you a great Tokyo experience either way. There’s a reason these two locations are so hotly debated and why both are so crowded. And you just have to figure out which crowd is your crowd. For me, it comes down to this. If I’m out exploring the rest of Tokyo and I get back late at night in the evening and I want to go eat street food or go drinking or party, then I would go to Shinjuku. If I wanted to go shopping or eat restaurant food or if I have kids, then for me that would be Shabuya. Just choose which one fits you best. Again, these two locations are directly next to each other by train. So going back and forth is fairly easy. So, it really comes down to what you want to do at night in my opinion. Though, going back and forth does mean that you have to navigate both of these train stations. I’ll conclude by saying the general consensus seems to be that Shabuya is better due to its cleanliness and safer vibes with people who love to drink or be social at night enjoying Shinjjuku better. Me personally, Shabuya is a bit more my vibe. But then again, it just comes down to finding which area fits you best. So, which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments section down below why you like one over the other. Check out my channel for more guides on traveling to Japan along with detailed guides on Shibuya, Shinjuku, and a lot of the other wards in Tokyo. And on that note, I will see you guys in the next one. [Music]

People are always asking which one is better Shinjuku VS Shibuya.
These two wards of Tokyo are super popular and for good reason. They both house the worlds first and second busiest train stations, they have tons of attractions and activates, and they really are the place to be in Tokyo.

But where should you stay? Which one is better for you?
We’ll dive into that and plenty more as we look at Shinjuku VS Shibuya.

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🈹Shinjuku Guide: https://youtu.be/EEDOaxROrAM
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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:07 – Shinjuku Station and Activities
1:48 – Dual World Records
3:01 – Previous World Record Clock
3:30 – Shinjuku vibe
4:13 – Shinjuku Food and Drinks
5:05 – The Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant in the World
5:25 – Shinjuku Sights
5:38 – Shibuya Shopping and Flagship Stores
6:52 – Harajuku Culture and Street Food
7:27 – Views from Above
8:08 – World Record Busiest Crosswalk
8:41 – World’s Most Loyal Dog
9:00 – Shibuya Hidden Gem
9:33 – Which is Better for You?
10:05 – Comparison
12:51 – Final Thoughts

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