I’m trying to pick a hotel in Tokyo and everyone says stay in Shinjuku.
BUT looking at the map, Shinjuku station is absolutely massive. If my hotel is “a 10 minute walk” from the station, am I going to be dragging my luggage through a neon maze for half an hour just to find my train platform? How does that work? Anyone here traveled there and had to go through this?
Travel light so that you don’t have too much luggage ‘to drag’.
The next tip is to make sure you have the right hotel for the right exit.
Shinjuku is more like a ‘transportation district’ than a single building.
Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku - South Exit.
JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom - South Exit.
Kadoya Hotel - West Exit.
If your hotel is in Kabukicho, you’ll be near the East Exit, which is great for nightlife but farther from JR platforms.
So the general rule is to pick a hotel near the exit that matches the line you intend to use the most.
South Exit is best for JR lines, Narita Express, and airport buses.
West Exit is best for business hotels in the skyscraper district.
East Exit is best for nightlife, Kabukicho.
