Kabukicho Tower

Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district has recently been undergoing a gentrification of some sort and its streets are slowly loosing their plebeian character to more modern renovations. Opened in April 2023, the new Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, a skyscraper located just behind the Hotel 🏨 Gracery famous for its Godzilla Head, is part of the phenomenon.

Designed by contemporary architect Yuko Nagayama, the complex is towering at 225 meters high, on 53 floors (48 above ground and 5 underground); and it is the 1rst great building in Tokyo designed by a woman. Its blueish facade, made of glass waves, is springing toward the sky like a powerful water jet; probably a reference to the neighboring district’s shrine, the Itsukushima Jinja Nukebenten dedicated to Benzaiten, the lucky god associated to water.

Located to the north of Shinjuku station, this bold architecture contrasts with the historical high-rises of Nishi-Shinjuku that can be seen from the west of the station and date back to the 1970-1980s. This set of rectangular towers, that were in their times at the forefront of modernity, now indeed look a lot more stern, except for the daringly curved Cocoon Tower built in the early 2000s.

The new Kabukicho Tower was designed as a place to go out at night and have fun with friends. Entertainments include food, music and video games and are mainly aimed at young adults and foreign tourists with a comfortable budget for leisure activities. The upper half of the building is alloted to 2 hotels, including the Bellustar Tokyo and its upscale accommodation offer in a penthouse at the upper floor.

Bars, musics and video games for a nightly entertainment

One time visitors will find most of the Kabukicho Tower’s attractions between the ground floor (1F) and the level 4F. Places worth mentioning are:

• Starbucks, located at the main entrance’s level and the 1rst shop in the tower to open from 7 a.m. It also has a room at the 1rst floor with an elevated view on the plaza at the foot of the building.
• The tower’s souvenir shop, for contemporary architecture amateurs.
• Kabuki Yokocho (or Shinjuku Kabuki Hall as per its English name) at the 2F level, is a gathering of 10 izakaya pubs in a beautiful and colorful decor reminding of the authentic yokocho side streets and of the summer matsuri festivals’ ambiance. Note that the prices of drinks and typical regional dishes (from the Hokkaido, Okinawa, Tohoku or Kyushu areas) can be quite expensive in regard to the food quality offered.
• Namco Bandai, the brand’s 2nd arcade to open in Tokyo after Akihabara’s in March 2023, at the 3F floor.
• Tokyo Matrix at the 4F, a virtual strategy game to play in a 2 to 3 persons groups, that consist in riddle solving and quests to complete.

The intermediary levels of the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower offer a more subdued and luxurious atmosphere, reserved for regular customers, like the private wellness club Extion. There is also a show venue named Milano-za, as well as the gastronomic facility JAM17 (ice cream parlor, restaurant and bar).

We recommend going up to the 17F (uppermost floor accessible to the public), as it offers a nice romantic view on Nishi-Shinjuku’s skyscrapers at night. Lastly, the underground floors of the tower (B1 to B4) are home to a night club and concert venues to dance the night away.

Visitors will be thrilled by the thoroughly thought visual ambiance at the different floors, the interior decoration and the very efficient plays on lighting. However, the entertainment area is overall rather unimpressive, except maybe for the Tokyo Matrix virtual game, that amateurs may enjoy.