Shinjuku Takashimaya
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Shinjuku Station · 2 min walk (JR Yamanote Line, JR Chūō-Sōbu Line, JR Saikyō Line)
- Hours
- 10:30–19:30 (department store floors); 11:00–23:00 (Restaurants Park, 12F–14F)
- Admission
- Free
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Best time to go
- Weekday mornings at 10:30 opening for uncrowded depachika shopping, or late afternoon before the 13th-floor White Garden closes public entry
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Shinjuku Takashimaya is a premier multi-story department store anchor within the massive Times Square complex. It is worth visiting for its unparalleled selection of high-end cosmetics, international luxury brands, and a massive Tokyu Hands branch. Expect a sophisticated, easy-to-navigate layout, a spectacular basement food hall (depachika) packed with gourmet Japanese treats, and an upper-floor restaurant park with excellent city views.
What Japanese guides note
Shinjuku Takashimaya sits on the south side of Koshu Kaido in Shibuya Ward's Sendagaya district, directly linked across the railway tracks via second-floor pedestrian concourses. Rail travelers arriving at JR Shinjuku Station must head for the Miraina Tower or Shin-minami ticket gates, as exiting from the older East or West gates requires navigating heavy crowds and congested road crossings. In rain or extreme heat, the basement depachika food hall provides direct subterranean walkway access to the Fukutoshin Line at Shinjuku-sanchome Station.
Details from local sources
- Despite its Shinjuku branding, the department store is legally located at Sendagaya 5-chome in Shibuya Ward on the former site of the JNR Shinjuku Freight Station. [source]
- Basement level 1 features a direct, weather-sheltered underground connection to Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line's Shinjuku-sanchome Station. [source]
- Floor 2 connects directly by pedestrian deck to the Basta Shinjuku express bus terminal and JR Shinjuku Station's Miraina Tower and Shin-minami ticket gates. [source]
- The 13th-floor outdoor White Garden terrace houses an in-house rooftop Shinto shrine called Kumataka-sha. [source]
- Public entry into the 13th-floor outdoor White Garden closes at 19:00 from March to October and at 18:00 from November to February, well before the restaurant floor shuts. [source]
- The southern end of the Takashimaya Times Square complex is a 6-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Yoyogi Station. [source]
Insider Tip
Bring your passport to the ground-floor information desk before shopping to claim a 5% discount card available to foreign tourists.
Frequently asked
Which Shinjuku Station exit should I use to get to Takashimaya?
Use JR Shinjuku Station's Miraina Tower Exit or Shin-minami (New South) Exit. Both lead directly onto the second-floor elevated pedestrian walkway, reaching the store within a two-minute walk. Exiting from the main East or West exits requires a long detour around Koshu Kaido and congested station corridors.
Is Shinjuku Takashimaya actually in Shinjuku Ward?
No. Although named Shinjuku Takashimaya and physically adjacent to JR Shinjuku Station, the complex is administratively located at Sendagaya 5-chome in Shibuya Ward. It was constructed on the former site of the JNR Shinjuku Freight Station, which closed in 1984 before redevelopment into the Times Square complex.
Can I reach Shinjuku Takashimaya entirely underground in bad weather?
Yes. Basement level 1 features a direct underground concourse connecting to Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line’s Shinjuku-sanchome Station. Subway passengers can walk directly into the depachika food hall without encountering outdoor weather or surface street traffic, making it completely sheltered from rain.
What is located on the upper floors of the building?
Floors 12 through 14 contain the Restaurants Park dining area, open until 23:00. Floor 13 features the outdoor White Garden terrace, offering views toward the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building and Shinjuku Gyoen, as well as Kumataka-sha, a small Shinto shrine established on the department store rooftop.
How close is Takashimaya to the Basta Shinjuku bus terminal?
Basta Shinjuku sits immediately opposite the second-floor pedestrian deck, roughly a two-minute walk away. Travelers waiting for highway express or airport buses frequently use Takashimaya's basement food hall to buy boxed meals and gifts, or access the duty-free counter located on the 11th floor.
Our Tokyo walking tours
On the same walk
Photos
