If you have already decided to stay in Shinjuku during your trip in Tokyo, on this page you will find some tips on the best hotels and other types of accommodation for all budgets.
Conversely, if you are not sure about the best area to stay in Tokyo for your trip, we suggest you also take a look at Where to stay in Tokyo.
Business hotels
The Shinjuku district is full of business hotels, both in the east and in the west side. Nonetheless, all things being equal, fares are on average higher than in other neighborhoods of the city.
This hotel is located 650 meters from Shinjuku station, in a quiet narrow street of Kabukicho.
Small but modern rooms. The excellent buffet breakfast costs around 1000¥ per person. If you are looking for a normal hotel in the Shinjuku entertainment area, the Premier Cabin offers the best value for money.
Price range: single rooms 9,000-10,000¥, double rooms 11,000-13,000¥.
The Kadoya Hotel is the only hotel located within the shopping area of the west side of Shinjuku. All other hotels are located in the nearby skyscraper area. The location is great, just 400 meters from Shinjuku station, very close to the skyscrapers but at the same time surrounded by shops and restaurants.
Rooms are average. Very small common spaces. The breakfast set menu (around 1000¥) is not particularly recommended, the surroundings are full of cafes.
Price range: single rooms 10,000-13,000¥, double rooms 15,000-17,000¥.
A skyscraper of 27 floors in the heart of Kabukicho, 500 meters from Shinjuku station.
Like all APA hotels, the rooms are very small but equipped with all comforts. It is the cheapest hotel with (some) rooms with panoramic views. The hotel also has large public baths with panoramic views. Buffet breakfast for 2000¥.
Price range: single rooms 9,000-12,000¥, double rooms 13,000-18,000¥.
This hotel is located in a skyscraper in the skyscraper area of West Shinjuku, a stone's throw from the famous Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Shinjuku station is 650 meters away, and can also be reached via an underground tunnel.
The Washington hotels are a big hotel chain with good quality standards. However, we do not recommend so much their "economy" rooms, they are really tiny. On the top floor there is a great panoramic restaurant (Manhattan Table).
Price range: single rooms 9,000-10,000¥, double rooms 11,000-13,000¥.
A large hotel just 200 meters from the south exit of Shinjuku station, in a convenient location to explore both the east and west of the neighborhood. The Limousine Bus to/from Narita airport stops right in front of this hotel.
The lobby is very large and elegant, rooms are not so large but larger than the japanese average, and comfortable and well furnished.
Recommended for those with a good budget and looking for a very comfortable accommodation, such as honeymooners or families with children.
Price range: single rooms 12,000-15,000¥, double rooms 15,000-19,000¥.
Small hotels
If the business hotels are too expensive for you, in the east side of Shinjuku you can find some small family-run hotels at lower prices, but still higher than hotels of the same level in other areas of the city.
A hotel located in the heart of Kabukicho, and 700 meters from Shinjuku Station.
There are two types of rooms: 1) some quite spacious twin rooms (13 square meters) but very simply furnished, located in the basement (without windows) and super cheap considering the average of the area; 2) some japanese-style rooms for 2 or 3 people, with tatami and futon, slightly more expensive.
Recommended for those who want to satisfy these three wishes all together: staying in one of the most central areas of Tokyo, spend little, have a room furnished in traditional style.
Price range: double rooms 9,000-10,000¥, doppie stile giapponese 12,000-13,000¥.
A hotel located in a quiet residential street in Shinjuku, but only 400 meters from the south-east exit of the station. It is also very close to the entrance to Shinjuku Gyoen park and Takashimaya department store.
The rooms are very small (10 square meters), but it is almost impossible to find other private rooms with private bathroom cheaper than these, in such a central position. All rooms also include a mini-kitchen area with electric stove, and a microwave oven is located in the common lounge. The staff, very kind, speaks good English. The reception is open until 9 pm.
Price range: single rooms 7,000-9,000¥, double rooms 10,000-12,000¥.
A hotel in a quiet street, located more or less halfway between Kabukicho and Koreatown, both less than 10 minutes on foot. Shinjuku station is 1.3 km away, but in the immediate vicinity there is a metro station and Shin Okubo station of the Yamanote line.
There are 16 rooms in all, all double rooms and all very small (12 square meters), but new, clean and with en-suite bathroom with bathtub. The building was inaugurated in 2018.
Price range: double rooms 10,000-13,000¥.
Capsule hotel
The district of Shinjuku is full of capsule hotels, often used to stay overnight by many employees of the various offices in the area who have missed the last train to go home, either because they worked overtime until late, or because they spent too much time drinking and having fun in the red light district of Kabukicho.
A capsule hotel located just 100 meters from Shin Okubo station (JR Yamanote line), along the main street of Koreatown, 10 minutes walk from Kabukicho and 15 minutes from Shinjuku station.
The furniture is functional and modern. The reception and the common room are located on the eighth floor, with a huge window with fantastic views of the Shinjuku skyscrapers. Here there are plenty of seats to talk, eat and do whatever you want. In addition to the capsule, they will give you a large locker where to store luggage or other items.
One of the most affordable places if you want to stay in the red light district of Kabukicho. Next to the hotel you will find an English pub and a great kaiten sushi. The narrow streets of Golden Gai are located behind the building housing this capsule hotel. To get to the reception, you have to take the elevator and go to the 3rd floor.
The hotel itself is a little old but clean. There is a bustle of people throughout the night that could cause some noise. If you are sensitive, ear plugs are recommended.
Inside there are large public baths and a sauna, available to all male guests.
This place is a mix between a capsule hotel and an internet cafe, located along one of the main streets of Kabukicho, the so-called Godzilla Street. Shinjuku station is just 350 meters away.
There are 4 floors: one floor is for internet cafe-style cubicles, with an armchair or tatami (2000¥ for 8 hours), two floors are for the capsules, including an area for women only, and one other floor houses the reception and common areas with chairs, sofas, computers, a lot of mangas, magazines and books, unlimited drinks dispensers for all guests.
A capsule hotel in a great position, just 150 meters from the south-east exit of Shinjuku station, in the commercial heart of East Shinjuku.
This hotel calls itself a luxury capsule hotel, for this reason it's more expensive than the average of capsule hotels in Japan. The interior is decorated in a "Bali resort" theme. The capsules are more spacious, equipped with high quality TV and headphones. There are also superior capsules that are even more comfortable. Inside the hotel there are large public baths, sauna, massage chairs, dispensers of free drinks and snacks for all guests.
Price range: capsule for men 5,000-6,000¥.
Hostels
The few hostels in the Shinjuku district are all located in the east side, and in particular north of Kabukicho, towards the Korean Okubo district.
A small hostel 500 meters from Shin Okubo station and the nearby Koreatown, and 1 km from Shinjuku station.
The hostel offers beds in shared rooms with 4 or 6 beds, and simple private rooms for 2 people. The common areas are very small, and equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and washing machines. In general, it is a fairly mediocre hostel, recommended only for the super-cheap fares.
A hostel located 900 meters from the east exit of Shinjuku station. Golden Gai and Kabukicho are only a short distance away.
The hostel offers beds in 10-bed and 6-bed dormitory rooms. The beds are not the typical bunk beds of hostels, but they recall a "capsule hotel style", with curtains and separators that give guests some privacy even if the room is shared with other people. There are bathrooms and common areas on each floor, clean and welcoming.
Inside there is also a cafe open all day, where you can also have breakfast for 600¥.
A very small hostel 500 meters from Shin Okubo station and the nearby Koreatown, and 1 km from Shinjuku station.
The beds are "capsule hotel style" and men and women sleep in the same rooms. Very few beds in all, the hostel is on the top floor of a small building. Downstairs there is a konbini shop.
The hostel does not offer common areas or other particular services, but only the essentials. However, the price is incredibly low. It is almost impossible to stay in Shinjuku and spend less than in this hostel. Super-recommended for all the penniless.
A small hostel open inside a former house, in a residential street just 200 meters from Shin Okubo station and the nearby Koreatown, and 1 km from Shinjuku station.
This place offers both beds in shared rooms, and private rooms with one, two, three or four beds. All guests can use microwave ovens, refrigerators, a small kitchen, a common room with TV. The price for a bed in dormitory rooms is average, but the price of private rooms is one of the cheapest in all of Shinjuku.
Price range: posti letto 2,500-3,000¥, single rooms 3,500-4,000¥..
A very nice place to stay, with a unique atmosphere in the world (if we don't consider the other branches of the same chain in Tokyo). It is located in Kabukicho, just 450 meters from Shinjuku station.
The large common areas are furnished with style and have a very relaxing atmosphere, with sofas, armchairs and very long shelves full of books. The beds, similar to those of capsule hotels, are "slotted in" between one shelf and another. Unlike capsule hotels, here you can also find beds for two people. Prices are a bit high for a capsule hotel. If you stay out all day and as soon as you arrive you go immediately to sleep, without enjoying the common areas, maybe it's a waste of money. Recommended if you are looking for accommodation that is not just a place to sleep, but that adds something unique to your travel experience.
Shinjuku is one of the areas of Tokyo with the highest concentration of high and modern skyscrapers. Some of them also house hotels, from whose rooms you can admire incredible views.
One of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo, located in the skyscrapers area of Shinjuku, about 1 km from the train station.
The reception is located on the 41st floor. All the rooms have an amazing panoramic view of the city and even the "cheapest" rooms are actually luxury suites, considering that the smallest rooms are over 50 square meters wide. On the 47th floor there is an indoor panoramic swimming pool open all year round, and a gym. On the 45th floor there is a SPA. On the 52nd floor there is a panoramic restaurant (New York Grill), that became famous after being used for the shooting of the film Lost in Translation (2003, with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson). One night at this hotel it will make you feel like billionaires.
The Keio Plaza is located 500 meters from the west exit of Shinjuku station and consists of two skyscrapers, one next to the other. The tallest has 47 floors. The interior of the hotel is like a mini city, there are a gym, numerous bars and restaurants, a beauty center, a convenience store, a clinic and even an outdoor swimming pool open during the summer months. Quality of rooms and services is top notch. If you want to sleep in a high-end hotel in the midst of Shinjuku's skyscrapers, but you can't afford Park Hyatt rates, the Keio Plaza hotel is a great option.
This hotel is located between the 19th and 35th floors of a skyscraper in the Shinjuku Southern Terrace, a pedestrian area full of shops and restaurants just 200 meters from Shinjuku station.
The rooms are very spacious and modern and all have an incredible view of the city.
The lobby on the 20th floor is also very elegant. Inside there are also several restaurants. This is a hotel of the highest level, recommended for those on a high budget who want maximum comfort combined with a panoramic view and a super location.
Price range: single rooms 28,000-32,000¥, double rooms 34,000-40,000¥.
Love hotels
The northern area of the red light district of Kabukicho is full of love hotels (What are love hotels?). Spending one or more nights in a love hotel is a very interesting experience and is a great idea especially if you're traveling with your partner.
Love hotels can't usually be booked but you just have to go on the spot and take one of the available rooms (fares between 10,000¥ and 20,000¥) for a room taken in the evening until the next morning).
Some love hotels, in recent years, have also started to use booking.com to make it easier for foreign tourists to find them, and offer rooms with check-in and check-out times like those of normal hotels. In particular, we recommend:
This adults-only hotel is located in the heart of Kabukicho, 600 meters from Shinjuku station.
The theme of the hotel are Indonesian resorts, and in particular the island of Bali. Rooms are quite spacious (24 sqm), with Jacuzzi, sofa and massage chair. Free to all guests: a selection of dozens of beauty products and bath salts, including 14 types of shower gel and shampoo, unlimited Indonesian snacks and sweets, panoramic rooftop foot bath, karaoke, darts, air hockey, and two relaxation rooms that reproduce typical Bali settings (one of them in the photo to the side). A real resort paradise.
This adults-only hotel is located in the love hotel area of Kabukicho, 900 meters from Shinjuku Station. It is one of the most luxurious love hotels in Shinjuku that can be booked online in English.
The rooms are gigantic, from a minimum of 30 up to 38 square meters, equipped with sofa with 50-inch TV and surround sound system, karaoke, chromotherapy, hot tub, sauna, possibility to order food and drinks and cosplay clothes for roleplay.
In short, everything a couple could want for unforgettable moments of intimacy can be found in this love hotel.
Price range: double rooms 20,000-30,000¥.
Guided tours, activities and other things to do
If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use Rakuten Travel Experiences.
How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences
Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.
You can reserve your table in a lot of cafes and restaurants, for example one of the legendary 3-star Michelin restaurants in Japan, or crazy cafes like a unique Owl Cafe in Tokyo or one of the many and nowadays worldwide famous maid cafes
