Shinjuku Tokyo Food & Shopping Guide / Kabukicho Tower / Japan Travel Vlog
Shinjuku Kabukicho Shopping & Food Guide! 27 Recommendations! Hi! I’m Akanemaru, born and raised in Japan. This video is about Kabukicho in Shinjuku. We'll introduce 27 types of food and useful items, including dishes from the newest spot in Kabukicho, as well as Japan-exclusive menus from restaurant chains. At the end of the video, we'll also introduce the top recommended spot in Shinjuku, so stay tuned! Now, let's get started! We have arrived at Shinjuku Station.
This time, we will introduce six recommended spots near Kabukicho in Shinjuku Ward, divided into six different areas. Now, let's head to our destination. The two nearest ticket gates from Kabukicho that we'll be introducing this time are the Central East Gate and the East Gate of Shinjuku Station.
Once you exit the ticket gate, proceed towards the direction of Kabukicho, as indicated by the signs. We have arrived at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station. We will introduce the recommended spots in this area. Let's start by introducing "LUMINE EST," which is directly connected to the station. LUMINE EST is a commercial facility with 2 basement floors and 8 floors above ground.
Inside, there are over 200 restaurants and fashion brands. During the summer, they hold a limited-time beer garden on the rooftop. The 8th and 7th floors are dedicated to restaurants, with more than 30 restaurants.
It's always crowded with many people. One of the world-famous ramen shops, Ippudo, is located on this floor. The highly recommended menu at Ippudo is their representative Tonkotsu ramen. The rich and creamy pork broth has a mild taste and a refreshing aftertaste.
The thin noodles perfectly blend with the flavorful broth, making it delicious! Besides ramen, their dumplings are also recommended, so be sure to enjoy them together with your ramen. Next is "nana's green tea". It's a specialty restaurant for Japanese sweets with over 80 locations across Japan, and you can also find it in places like Vancouver and Seattle. They offer a variety of sweets, but their roll cakes are particularly recommended.
Whipped cream and matcha cream are wrapped in matcha-flavored sponge cake. The subtle bitterness of matcha and the sweetness of the whipped cream go well together. If you like matcha, this place is perfect for you. Next up is Village Vanguard, a store located on the 5th floor. Village Vanguard is a miscellaneous goods store with over 300 locations across Japan. Inside the store, you can find various items such as character merchandise, books, comics, and snacks, making it popular among young people.
They also sell face masks, which we introduced in our previous Shibuya Don Quijote video. These face masks are highly popular as souvenirs for tourists, so be sure to give them a try. Try posting a photo with the face mask on social media! Next, we will introduce two sweet stores on the 1st floor.
First one is Godiva, the chocolate specialty store. Godiva has about 650 stores in over 100 countries worldwide, and of those, about 40%, over 250 stores are located in Japan. It's so popular in Japan and ranks first in the favorite chocolate brand ranking among Japanese people.
This time, we will introduce two popular sweets. First one is the Godiva pudding. It consists of two layers, chocolate pudding and whipped cream. The pudding has a strong cocoa aroma and a rich, smooth texture.
It has a subtle bitterness, but the sweetness of the whipped cream gives a nice balance. The size is small and easy to eat. Next, we'll have the chocolate daifuku. This is a special Japanese confectionery created through a collaboration between Godiva and Senbikiya, the most famous luxury fruit specialty store in Japan. The mochi dough is cocoa-flavored and coated with cocoa powder.
The chewy texture is addictive. Inside the mochi, there is chocolate cream made with Belgian chocolate and a strawberry. The strawberry is Tochiotome, which is produced in Tochigi Prefecture and has a sweet and subtly tart flavor.
The strawberry juice spreads throughout the mouth, making it delicious! Next up is Cow Cow Kitchen, located right next to Godiva. This store specializes in sweets made with fresh milk. Our highly recommended item is the milk cheesecake wrapped in a crepe pastry. It has a rich flavor as it uses cream cheese from both France and Hokkaido.
Using milk from Hokkaido adds a natural sweetness to it. For those who only want to have a little bit, we recommend trying this soft serve ice cream since the cheesecake is only available for purchase as a whole cake. This soft serve ice cream comes with salt & camembert cookie, and milk cheesecake on top. It uses fresh milk, so it has a refreshing aftertaste. The soft serve ice cream blends with the cookie, creating a moist and delightful texture. You can also enjoy the milk cheesecake, so be sure to give them a try! Now, let's move on to the next area.
Next, the place we'll introduce is located about a 4-minute walk from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station. This is Seibu-Shinjuku PePe. Seibu-Shinjuku PePe is a commercial facility directly connected to Seibu-Shinjuku Station, and the Shinjuku Prince Hotel is also located in the same building. Inside the building, there are various stores, including ABC-MART, the most famous shoe specialty store in Japan, MUJI, a store that originated in Japan, which we introduced in a recent video, and GU, operated by the company that also runs UNIQLO.
The whole 8th floor is just a 100 yen shop called "Can Do". When it comes to 100 yen shops, Daiso is famous, but Can Do also has many stylish and useful items. There are items other than 100 yen, but all of them are affordable compared to other stores.
This time, we will introduce two popular items at this store. First, let's start with the timer. By the way, batteries are sold separately. This product comes with a total of four functions: timer, alarm, thermometer, and clock.
You can change the function by rotating it in the direction indicated by the characters. With only two buttons, it's easy to operate. It's a convenient item, so we recommend it. Next up is the ice mold.
It's made of silicone and shaped like a bear. Let's try making ice with it. Filling the ice mold with drinks that have colors like coffee is recommended because it makes the finished ice even cuter. After freezing for a day, take out the ice from the ice mold. We were able to easily make ice in the shape of a bear. It even has eyes and a nose, making it look cute.
It's great that the price is reasonable too. Now, let's move on to the next store. The next destination is located about a 7-minute walk from Shinjuku Station East Exit. Next, we'd like to introduce this store called "Onigiri Manma," a rice ball specialty store.
This place was opened by the staff of the world-famous onigiri specialty store "Bongo" in Otsuka in May 2023. During lunchtime, there may be a long line, but around 3 PM, you can usually enter without much wait. This time, we'll be getting two of the most popular onigiri from this store to take out. For your information, a recommended place to enjoy your take-out food is Shinjuku Marui, a commercial facility located about a 4-minute walk away from Shinjuku Station East Exit. It's not widely known, but there is a garden on the rooftop of this building.
You can't drink alcohol there, but you can bring your own food and eat. It's a rare place in the urban area of Shinjuku where you can eat and take a break while enjoying the view of nature. Let us introduce the top two most popular onigiri we bought earlier. 2nd place is the chicken minced meat and egg yolk onigiri, and 1st place is the sujiko and salmon onigiri. Both are luxurious onigiri combining two delicious ingredients.
Let's start with the popular 2nd place, the chicken minced meat and egg yolk onigiri. It has a pleasant aroma of seaweed. Since the onigiri is handcrafted by artisans, it has a nice and fluffy texture. The chicken minced meat inside is cooked with soy sauce and sugar, giving it a sweet taste. The egg yolk is marinated in soy sauce, giving it a good salty flavor. It's a onigiri with a rich and flavorful seasoning.
Next, we'll have the sujiko and salmon onigiri. Sujiko is the small-sized salmon roe just before it grows to the size of ikura. The fatty salmon goes perfectly well with the rice! The combination of the texture of sujiko and the taste of soy sauce enhances the deliciousness of the onigiri. Now, let's move on to the next area. The next destination is about a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Station East Exit. Next, we'd like to introduce you to Don Quijote Shinjuku Kabukicho store.
It's a Don Quijote located at the entrance of the liveliest district in Japan, Kabukicho, and it's open 24 hours. The building spans from the basement 1 to the 4th floor above ground, offering a wide variety of souvenirs, cosmetics, and more. The item we'll introduce here is a T-shirt. It's a T-shirt with the kanji characters "Japan" and a wave design.
It has a stylish and traditional Japanese look. The colors available are not just black, there are also white and red. Wearing this T-shirt might make your Japan tour even more enjoyable! About a 30-second walk from Don Quijote, you'll find the entrance to Kabukicho, which is often featured on TV and social media. This area is Kabukicho, the liveliest district in Japan. It becomes even more lively at night, so people who enjoy drinking will have a better time coming here in the evening.
Walking from Don Quijote to the heart of Kabukicho, you can already see the next destination. The landmark is Godzilla sticking out from the top of the building. Next, we will introduce TOHO CINEMAS Shinjuku, which is our 5th destination.
It is a movie theater that opened in 2015, with 12 screens and a total of 2,300 seats. Besides the movie theater, this building also houses various restaurants. This time, we will introduce three famous Japanese restaurants from among them. First, let us introduce three exclusive menus from the world-famous fried chicken specialty store, KFC.
This is the Red Hot Chicken, spicier than the regular chicken. It's a menu available only during the summer season. The coating contains spices such as chili pepper, making it hot and spicy. For those who enjoy spicy food, we recommend trying the super spicy sauce.
It's the perfect fried chicken for a hot summer. Next, we will have the chocolate pie. The pie crust infused with chocolate has a crispy texture that is addictive. The chocolate cream inside is creamy and sweet. It's a recommended pie for those who have a sweet tooth. Next, we will have the Japanese-style chicken katsu burger.
The teriyaki sauce with a soy sauce flavor has a nice aroma and sweetness. It is creamy because it is covered with mayonnaise sauce. The texture of the cabbage adds a nice accent. Next, we'll introduce Gindaco, the takoyaki shop with the most stores in Japan.
We'll briefly introduce four freshly cooked takoyaki. This is takoyaki topped with sauce and mayonnaise. It's the most standard menu, so it's recommended for those trying takoyaki for the first time. This takoyaki comes with green onions and bonito flakes on top. It's eaten by dipping it in a Japanese-style broth, so it's refreshing to eat.
This one is topped with eggs mixed with mayonnaise. It is more satisfying than the standard takoyaki. One popular choice among women is takoyaki with cheese and spicy cod roe mayonnaise. They are all delicious, so please try them and compare! Next, we will introduce Ringer Hut. It is a specialty restaurant for Nagasaki champon, with over 660 stores across Japan. Their specialty dish, Nagasaki champon, is made by boiling noodles and vegetables in pork bone soup instead of water, allowing the soup's flavor to soak into the noodles and ingredients.
The thick noodles have a chewy texture and delicious. In addition to Nagasaki champon, Sara-Udon is also popular. The fried thin noodles are topped with a sauce containing vegetables and pork. The crispy noodles paired with the piping hot sauce create an excellent combination. By the way, among the over 660 stores, only this Shinjuku branch sells bread.
This is seasoned with soup and mayonnaise using the same ingredients as those in champon, such as cabbage and bean sprouts. The combination of the crunchy texture of the vegetables and the bread is interesting. Please give it a try! Finally, we'll introduce Kabukicho Tower, located about a 30-second walk from TOHO CINEMAS Shinjuku, which we introduced earlier. It's a massive building with 5 basement floors and 48 floors above ground, opened in April 2023. Inside, there is a hotel, restaurants, and movie theaters, among other things.
From the 18th to the 44th floor is a hotel, which is particularly high-class and luxurious among the hotels in Tokyo. On the 9th and 10th floors, there are movie theaters, where they also sell movie-related merchandise. Located on the 2nd floor is a recently popular food court, often featured on social media. It's a lively place with a food court inspired by Japanese festivals, where you can enjoy both music and various cuisines.
On the 3rd floor, there is an amusement arcade. The amusement arcade, like the food court on the 2nd floor, has vibrant lighting and a lively atmosphere. There is a unique and very large capsule toy machine that is the only one in Japan. You can also enjoy video from the popular anime "ONE PIECE." The characters seem to come out of the screen with powerful effects.
You can enjoy exclusive video that you can only see here. This time, we got a figure of the main character Luffy from ONE PIECE. It might be hard to convey through the video, but when you actually play, it's very powerful, so please give it a try! Next, let us introduce this restaurant on the 1st floor, KABUKI BURGER&TACOS.
At this restaurant, you can enjoy premium hamburgers made with wagyu. The inside of the restaurant is stylish and has a great atmosphere. There are two recommended dishes at this restaurant. You can place your order by scanning the QR code with your smartphone and accessing their website. You can also change the language, so you can easily order. First, let's start with the taco.
They are topped with plenty of ingredients like tandoori chicken and avocado. The sauce has a nice spicy aroma. The outside of the tortilla is crispy, and the inside is chewy. The tandoori chicken is moist and tender. The sauce adds some spiciness, but the avocado brings a creamy and mild flavor.
Next, we will have the most popular menu in this restaurant, the KABUKI Burger. It features a 100% wagyu beef patty topped with finely chopped vegetable tempura, kakiage. The patty is seasoned with two types of sauce: ketchup mayonnaise with ginger and BBQ sauce. The tempura made with fried onions and shiitake mushrooms provides a crispy and addictive texture.
The wagyu beef patty has just the right amount of fat and is juicy. It's nicely grilled and has a great texture. This is a highly recommended hamburger for those who want to try wagyu. Finally, we'd like to share with you our top recommended spot inside Kabukicho Tower.
It's not widely featured on social media, but the 17th floor is a public floor that even non-hotel guests can visit. The view is nice, so you can overlook the city of Shinjuku. There are few people, so it's recommended. On this floor, there are shops selling gelato, cookies, and more. This time, we'll introduce a particularly recommended flavor among the 11 types of gelato available. This is purple sweet potato gelato.
It's not the sweetness of sugar, but the natural sweetness of purple sweet potatoes, giving it an elegant taste. It has a smooth texture and melts in the mouth! Eating gelato while looking at the streets of Shinjuku makes it even more delicious! If you have any places you'd like us to introduce, let us know in the comments! Please hit the like button and subscribe to our channel! That's it for today! See you in the next video! Bye bye!
2023-08-04 01:15
