Shinjuku Evening Food Tour with 13 Dishes at 4 Eateries Tokyo

Shinjuku Station and the West Exit

Shinjuku Station is the busiest railway station in the world, a vast hub where commuter, subway and long-distance lines meet. The tour meets on its west side, the Nishi-Shinjuku district, where the first skyscrapers in Tokyo rose in the 1970s around the twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Its observation rooms, open to the public, are worth a visit on another day for views reaching to Mount Fuji on clear winter mornings.

Your guide begins with the story of Shinjuku itself: a post town on the old Koshu road in the Edo period, then a railway hub, then a district rebuilt from ashes after 1945. Understanding that history helps the food make sense, because many of the eateries on this Shinjuku food tour grew out of the small stalls that fed workers in the hungry years after the war.

Omoide Yokocho, Memory Lane

Omoide Yokocho, 'Memory Lane', is a cluster of tiny alleys squeezed beside the railway tracks just north of the west exit. It began in the late 1940s as an open-air market and kept its shape: narrow lanes, red lanterns, and counters with room for only a handful of guests, where yakitori skewers sizzle over charcoal and the smoke drifts into the street.

How to get to Omoide Yokocho: it is a two-minute walk from the west exit of Shinjuku Station, and our tour starts right beside it. The lanes are busiest after 18:00, which makes the evening departures particularly atmospheric. Your guide explains what each type of counter serves and the etiquette of eating in such small spaces, and the first eatery of the tour is in this area, where the dishes are cooked a few centimetres from your seat.

Kabukicho by Lantern and Neon

Across the tracks lies Kabukicho, the most famous entertainment district in Tokyo. Its name comes from a kabuki theatre that was planned here after the war to revive the neighbourhood but was never built; the name stayed, and the area became a maze of cinemas, game centres, restaurants and giant screens. The red gate of Kabukicho Ichibangai is one of the most photographed street signs in the city.

On this part of the walk, which lasts about an hour, your guide leads you through the brightest avenues and the quieter side streets, with a stop at one of the eateries. Is Kabukicho safe? With a guide and in a group it is very comfortable; the main rule is simply to ignore street touts. The best time to visit Kabukicho is after dark, when the neon creates its full effect, so the evening departures show it at its best.

Sashimi, Tonkatsu, Yakitori and Takoyaki

The four eateries are chosen to show the range of everyday Tokyo cooking. At the traditional restaurant you taste sashimi, slices of raw fish served with soy sauce and fresh wasabi, and learn how freshness is judged. The modern Japanese eatery brings tonkatsu, a thick pork cutlet coated in panko breadcrumbs, fried until golden and served with shredded cabbage and a sweet-savoury sauce.

Yakitori, chicken skewers grilled over charcoal and seasoned either with salt or with a glossy tare sauce, is the taste of Omoide Yokocho, while takoyaki, the octopus dumplings born in Osaka, has become a favourite street snack in Tokyo too. Other small plates complete the 13 dishes, and the 2 included drinks can be soft drinks such as green tea, oolong tea or juice.

Shinjuku Finale at Sakura Square

The last part of the walk crosses back through central Shinjuku, past the department stores and covered passages around the station, and ends at Shinjuku Sakura Square beside the south-east exit of JR Shinjuku Station. From here trains, the subway and the bus terminal connect to every part of Tokyo, so getting back to your hotel is easy.

Before you part, your guide shares tips for the rest of your stay: where to find good ramen, sushi or tempura, how to order at ticket-machine restaurants and which neighbourhoods are worth exploring. Just a short walk south lies Shinjuku Gyoen, one of the most beautiful gardens in Tokyo, ideal for a morning visit on another day, especially during the cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons.