January 9th, 2006 | The lowdown by Dave Schnock

An overview of Shinjuku: the Tokyo Metro Government Building.

Nowhere else have I found the essence and beating heart of Tokyo more than in Shinjuku. Amongst the rows of concrete and flashing neon lights, the traveler can get lost and sidetracked into small alleyways, and come across restaurants, shops, bars, pachinko (Japanese Pinball), karaoke, and izakaya (Japanese drinking establishments) that one would otherwise never know about.

The city adventurer’s desire for excitement can be sated here, and looking any further would be unnecessary. I myself pass through here at least once a week to get to central Tokyo. Shinjuku station is a city in itself-you could spend hours in this building alone, and it’s a testament to the modern marvel that is Tokyo. The station is filled with shops, fast food restaurants, department stores, and an array of trains connecting to all parts of the city. The maze of tunnels and the amount of people commuting and running to and fro will have even the most city-savvy person feeling claustrophobic.

You can walk anywhere in Shinjuku and be mesmerized by the bustle of stoic Japanese businessmen and giggling school girls, both groups clicking away on their latest state-of-the-art keitais (cell phones). They will most likely be too wrapped up in their own lives and the bustle around them to give much notice to foreigners.

People may look at you in amazement in more rural parts of Japan because they rarely ever see a gaijin (foreigner), but in Shinjuku, you can become lost in the crowd. Shinjuku is one of the most cosmopolitan parts of Tokyo, so being a foreigner here isn’t such a huge deal.

The first place I would recommend for your itinerary is the Tokyo Metro Government Building. If you are interested in politics, then this is the place, but its main draw is the fantastic views of the city offered by its viewing tower (free of charge). From here you can get an idea of layout of the area and snap some fine pictures. The building is located outside of Tokyo’s West Exit, the area that is home to many of Tokyo’s skyscrapers.

This area is considered to be a more stable area and not as susceptible to earthquake damage as other parts of the city. Even so, the last time I was here taking pictures on the 45th floor observation deck, my heart skipped a beat as I felt yet another earthquake. Everyone held their breath and waited to see how long this latest seismic disturbance would last-being on the 45th floor of a building didn’t give us a whole lot of other options.

I have experienced a countless number of earthquakes since I moved here. Most of them have been very small and not worth much thought, but there have been some that were powerful enough to shake the whole area, and make all of us wonder when the next great Tokyo earthquake will hit. The last one was in 1923, and some have predicted that there will be another within the next 20 years. The Japanese live with the threat of earthquakes on a daily basis, but somehow they do a remarkable job of taking it all in stride. The crazy bustle of life goes on in Shinjuku.