Huge beyond belief -- a fitting description of metropolitan Tokyo, which is by far the world's largest city. Its 34 million people make it one-third bigger than other urban giants such as Mexico City, Sao Paulo, New York City area and Shanghai.

Exploring Shinjuku » Shinjuku East » Shinjuku Station » Shinjuku West

Central Tokyo, with about 12 million, is an immense downtown area which, though crowded, does not feel overly congested because the buildings are generally midrise rather than skyscrapers, everything runs efficiently and the people are so polite, especially if you are not competing for their space during rush hour.

One of the largest mass transit systems in the world makes getting around Tokyo very easy, provided you avoid the crush of rush hour. Don't even think about renting a car. Take the metro (eight subway lines that link with railways), walk, and ride the occasional taxi to cover this gigantic place.

Streets in the main destination areas are ideal for walking: lined with shops with exquisite window displays and busy with fashionable locals who offer great opportunities for people-watching. Space is at such a premium that businesses make the most of every inch, transforming window displays into high art. What a delight to simply stroll along and pass one shop after another, enjoying the goods from a safe distance and not spending a fortune.

Despite the Tokyo's size, the main visitor attractions can be sampled in a few days, thanks to the effective transportation system and the proximity of major neighborhoods.

Such a large city with a long history naturally has numerous attractions for the visitor, but they are spread out across different parts of the city. However, if you would like to experience the liveliest district with cutting-edge, contemporary culture, futuristic buildings, and varied shopping opportunities, head straight to Shinjuku.

SHINJUKU EAST

Glittering shopping district the hot spot for fashionistas

This lively shopping and entertainment neighborhood is the most "happening" spot in all of Tokyo, with sparkling action compressed into a handful of energetic blocks around the Shinjuku train station. If you only had two hours to see contemporary Tokyo, this would be the place to visit. All kinds of shops with almost everything for sale are here: large department stores, small boutiques, electronics shops, art galleries, and plenty of places to eat and drink.

Thousands of young people in their teens through thirties are out on the streets, the tribe that loves to shop, go to cafes, be entertained and meet up with friends. They adore their fashionable clothes and carefully tended hair and makeup, so this bunch is always looking good, a very important value for the Japanese. There are a few oddly-coiffed characters here and there, adorned with tattoos and piercings, but not as many as you might expect from media reports. Nearly all the young people are dressed in a classy, urban fashion, often looking so glamorous they could have just popped off a magazine cover.

The east side of Shinjuku Station is action central, an area about eight blocks square with several major commercial streets, including Yasukuni Dori, Meiji Dori and Shinjuku Dori, along with a few smaller side lanes reserved for pedestrians.

There are several large department stores, such as Mitsukoshi, Isetan, and My City, and hundreds of smaller boutiques, a big shopping center called Times Square, and underground malls. Odakyu and Keio department stores are just west of the station in a smaller shopping area that features some electronics stores filled with the latest high-tech gadgets. Shoppers are so well-served that it's easy to see why thousands flock here day and night. As always in Tokyo, you're going to feel very safe, since crime is practically nonexistent.

While it looks like this is the land of youth at street level, we know that Japan is an aging nation. More than in any other country, the population is growing old and will decrease considerably in coming decades. There are fewer and fewer young people, but you would never realize that from walking around on the streets of Shinjuku and the other hot spots of town. With everyone looking so prosperous, you also would not notice there have been major economic problems for much of the past decade, issues which for now seem to be under control.

Visit during the day, then come back at night to see Shinjuku with all the lights on and the evening crowd out for dinner and a show.

It's a great place to eat and the shops stay open relatively late here. With darkness the spectacular neon displays show off as the city's brightest, easily equal to New York's Times Square.

SHINJUKU STATION

River of people flows nonstop through major transit artery

An older crowd and different vibe is found in the other half of Shinjuku, a few blocks west of the train station in a business zone of very tall buildings called the Skyscraper District. You can cross from east to west by walking through Shinjuku Station. However, there is a good chance of getting lost and breathlessly coming out right back where you started because there are 60 exits and 2 million people hustling every day through what is reputedly the nation's busiest rail terminal.

The constant swirl of crowds through the station can get a little dizzying, but everyone is very polite. I saw no pushing or shoving. Except during rush hour, when dawdling gawkers might get trampled, this can be quite delightful place for intensive people-watching.

Of course, there are a lot of shops inside the station, along with restaurants, noodle stalls, fast-food stands, cafes and snack bars. You can ride a train into the countryside from this station or just take a metro line to somewhere else in the city. A large number of different train lines intersect here. Night and day, it's a busy spot.

You can also reach Shinjuku's west side by taking the pedestrian tunnel just north of My City mall, bypassing the station altogether. You'll get across quickly and avoid getting lost inside the station.

SHINJUKU WEST

Lofty buildings in area known as Skyscraper City have free observation decks with panoramic views

This neighborhood is called Skyscraper City because it has the largest concentration of modern, tall buildings in the country, 25 to 55 stories high, clustered in 16 square blocks just west of the train station. There are free -- yes, free -- observation towers on the upper floors of several of these skyscrapers that are each worth visiting for the different angles on the city. On a clear day you can even see Mt. Fuji. It is easy to go up and down five different towers in a couple of hours to soak up the various panoramas across town: Exit one tower and walk right into the next for another quick ascent up to the top in fast elevators that zip you up and then right back down.

The view is almost like midtown Manhattan, but on a smaller scale. There might not be very much of the old city left, but the beauty of the buildings that have taken their place more than makes up for any historical loss. Tokyo has always been a city in transition, suffering from a long series of fires, earthquakes and constant redevelopment during its thousand year saga. The contemporary architecture of Tokyo is extremely impressive and is at its best here in Skyscraper City.

Most of Tokyo consists of buildings about five or six stories high, packed in quite close together, so this skyscraper district is the anomaly of town. Tokyo is in an earthquake zone, so these skyscrapers have been very carefully constructed to withstand some of the most violent urban shakes that strike any place in the world. Strong and beautiful -- this is Japanese technology, engineering and design at their best.

A good place to start the yo-yo adventure is the dramatic Tokyo Metropolitan Towers, standing 45 stories high with public observation decks on the top floors of each of its two towers.

It was designed by one of the country's most respected architects, Kenzo Tange, who had Notre Dame Cathedral in mind when designing the twin towers, as well as the Roman Coliseum, which provided inspiration for the round office building across the street. The Metropolitan Towers is the seat of the city government, housing most of the various bureaucratic offices that run this impossibly-large city.

Inside is a most impressive lobby that leads you into the express elevators to the observation decks. The viewing area has the best facilities of any of the towers in the neighborhood, with a cafe, restaurant and gift shops. It is a perfectly comfortable place to get an overview of the city, looking through large picture windows for 360 degrees around the west side of Shinjuku into the heart of Skyscraper City.

On the ground floor you can visit the largest Tourist Information office in Tokyo, so this is the perfect place to stock up on free maps and brochures about activities and tours. Pick up a map that shows which towers have the observation decks so you can find them easily. If you need help with hotel reservations there are direct booking facilities, or if you want to know about entertainment and special events, the schedules are available. Such practical information is not easily obtained elsewhere in the city, so take advantage. The friendly clerks also speak pretty good English, which is a bit of a rarity in Tokyo.

Residents of Tokyo are friendly, but since most of them don't speak English, they are somewhat reluctant to attempt communicating with "gaijin." English is studied in school but mostly to learn reading and writing. You'll get by as a traveler by just using sign language and finding the rare shop clerk who can speak a few words of English. It is surprising to see how little information is available in English for the tourist. With fewer than 7 million foreign visitors to Japan each year, you don't run into much of a tourist-oriented atmosphere, nor do you see many other Americans. This presents a slight challenge to getting the most out of your visit because you need to do more research before you arrive. But it also increases your sense of adventure and accomplishment as you navigate through a foreign landscape.

Just across the street from the Municipal Towers is the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, which has an astonishing interior atrium that extends 52 stories to the top of the building. This skyscraper's unusual shape, in the form of a six-sided polygon, further compounds the architectural impact of the atrium. Ride the public elevator to the observation deck and get a lovely vista looking out all around you.

Next door is the Sompo Japan Building, 42 stories high with a free observation deck, and an exciting bonus: the Sompo Japan Museum of Art, a private museum displaying a fine collection of 250 paintings. It is a memorial to a local painter, Seiji Togo, with his work and more on display, including some Impressionists, a room full of Grandma Moses primitives, and the prized "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh. Caked with thick paint, that colorful floral cost $45 million and is the signature item of the collection. There are also some Pissarros, Gauguins, Renoirs and Cezannes. The tower's observation deck is free, but you do pay 500 yen admission to go into the museum, which is well worth it.

A couple of other buildings to consider visiting here are the Shinjuku Park Tower, which houses the Park Hyatt Hotel, a main setting for the movie "Lost in Translation." A few blocks further south lies the Tokyo Opera City, with concert halls, shops, and the NTT InterCommunication Center, a futuristic multimedia research and exhibition center that works with the latest electronic, interactive technologies.

Yet another excellent view can be enjoyed from the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel where we stayed, the Keio Plaza, which is a very comfortable InterContinental Hotel and was the first high-rise in this neighborhood. Renovations keep it in great condition, with a new tower and the original standing side by side. On a clear day, you can view Mt. Fuji and exciting city vistas of skyscrapers from many of the hotel rooms.

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