Shinjuku Station Complete Guide: Many Lines, 200+ Exits, JR-Anchored Transfers
JR / Odakyū / Keiō / Keiō New / Toei Shinjuku / Toei Ōedo / Marunouchi / Seibu Shinjuku / Shinjuku-sanchōme positions, transfer routes, exit choices, *Basuta Shinjuku*, and peak-hour avoidance.
Shinjuku Station is the busiest rail station in the world at about 3.5 million passengers per day (Guinness-recognised). JR East, Odakyū, Keiō, Toei Subway, Tokyo Metro, and Seibu Railway all serve this area; Keiō New Line, Toei Shinjuku Line, Toei Ōedo Line, Marunouchi Line, Seibu Shinjuku Line, and the walkable-but-separate Shinjuku-sanchōme Station all put “Shinjuku” on the sign while sitting in different places. There are 60+ ticket gates and 200+ named exits. First-time visitors routinely spend 30 minutes inside the station and still surface in the wrong direction. The practical reading is destination first, then exit, then one of three blocks: JR, west-side private railways, or south-side subway access.
Overall Structure
JR Shinjuku is the core, about 500 m north-to-south with platforms 1 through 16. Do not rely on a memorised platform table: JR departure platforms can vary by service and time, and the station display is the source to follow. As a working split, use the central passages and East-West Free Passage for Chūō, Yamanote, and Chūō-Sōbu trains; use the South / New South side for Saikyō, Shōnan-Shinjuku, Narita Express, and many limited-express movements. For airport or limited-express trains, check the departure board before choosing a gate.
Four private/subway stations are embedded in the JR perimeter. On the west side underground: Odakyū Shinjuku (platforms 1–10), Keiō Shinjuku (same level), Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line Shinjuku (deeper underground). On the south side underground: Toei Shinjuku Line Shinjuku, Toei Ōedo Line Shinjuku (same line names but different gate locations, 2–3 minutes apart), and Keiō New Line Shinjuku (effectively a platform built for the through-service connection to the Toei Shinjuku Line).
Two stations remain fully separate. Seibu-Shinjuku is at street level to the north, 5 minutes on foot from JR East exit across a track-overpass. Shinjuku-sanchōme is 3–5 minutes from JR East exit and underground, serving the Fukutoshin, Marunouchi, and Toei Shinjuku Lines. Before departure, check whether the ticket says “Shinjuku” or “Shinjuku-sanchōme”—these are not interchangeable.
JR-Anchored Transfers
Most lines cluster around JR, and the transfer times anchored to JR are worth memorising. JR → Odakyū: out the JR West gate, Odakyū department store and gate are straight ahead, 1–2 minutes, same underground level. JR → Keiō: out JR West gate, right, Keiō department store basement, 2 minutes. JR → Keiō New Line: via the JR Central Underground Passage, the Keiō New Line gate sits a little further south, 4 minutes; surfacing by mistake costs another 10 minutes to backtrack.
JR → Tokyo Metro Marunouchi: JR Central East gate → East-West Free Passage → Marunouchi Line gate (deeper underground), 4–5 minutes. JR → Toei Shinjuku Line: JR South or New South gate → underground to the Toei gate, 5–6 minutes. JR → Toei Ōedo Line: from East-South or New South down to the deep underground, 6–8 minutes; for the Metropolitan Government Building, boarding from the next station, Tochōmae, is actually closer than from Shinjuku.
JR → Seibu-Shinjuku: out JR East gate, cross the track-overpass, walk north 5–7 minutes with one signal. JR → Shinjuku-sanchōme: from JR East exit, 3–5 minutes above ground, or through the underground passage via exit B-13 in 6–8 minutes.
Seven Main Exits by Destination
The exit follows the destination. These seven directions cover about 90% of needs.
West Exit (JR West gate): Yodobashi Camera main store, Omoide Yokochō, Shinjuku West Exit Bus Terminal (most municipal buses), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (10 minutes via the underground passage), Keiō Department Store, Odakyū Department Store.
East Exit (JR East gate): Kabukichō, Kinokuniya main store, Isetan direction (Isetan main store is 5 minutes away on the Shinjuku-sanchōme side), LUMINE EST, Studio Alta. The entertainment district and shopping streets are concentrated here.
South Exit (JR South gate): Takashimaya (directly in front), Tōkyū Hands Shinjuku, Southern Terrace.
New South Exit (JR New South gate): NEWoMan SHINJUKU (direct connection), Basuta Shinjuku (the nation-wide highway bus terminal), JR highway bus terminal. Three nearby exit names—New South, Southern Terrace, Mirai-na Tower—are easy to confuse.
Central East Exit: in-station shops, LUMINE.
Central West Exit / Kōshū-kaidō direction: basement entrances to Odakyū and Keiō department stores, underground passage to the Metropolitan Government Building.
East-South Exit (JR East-South gate): South-east area around Shinjuku Station, Flags. Slightly north of New South and frequently mistaken by passengers heading for buses or Southern Terrace.
Basuta Shinjuku and Limited Express Platforms
Basuta Shinjuku (directly above the New South exit, 4th floor) is Japan’s largest highway bus terminal—about 1,500 daily departures, around 300 destinations. Boarding bays are zoned by direction: A is the Kantō region (Narita / Haneda / Disney direction), B is Chūbu and Tōkai (Nagoya, Shizuoka), C is Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe), D is Kyūshū and Tōhoku. Ticket counters are on the 3rd floor; automated machines accept convenience-store pickup codes.
JR limited-express platforms should be read from the same-day board rather than a fixed platform number. Narita Express, Chūō Line limited expresses (Azusa, Kaiji, Fuji Excursion, serving Matsumoto, Kōfu, Kawaguchiko), and the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line all transfer inside the JR ticketed area, but platform numbers depend on service and time. The safest route is to reach the South / New South side or central passage, read the departure board, then follow the signs for limited express, airport, or Shōnan-Shinjuku Line.
Private rail limited expresses each have their own platforms. The Odakyū Romance Car (to Hakone, Enoshima) departs from west-side platforms 5–7 (Odakyū Shinjuku Station). Dedicated and general platforms are separate; a basic fare + limited-express ticket are both required. The Keiō Liner (to Hachiōji, Hashimoto) leaves from Keiō Shinjuku, where the reserved-seat supplement (from ¥410, valid only when buying a same-day seat assignment) is paid before boarding.
Morning Peak, Rain, and the Last-Train Picture
The peak runs 7:30–9:00, with the Yamanote, Chūō Line Rapid, and Saikyō Line at 150–180% loading and 2–3 minute headways. Three avoidance strategies. First, shift to the 5:00–6:30 window closer to first trains. Second, escape into a reserved seat—a Chūō Line limited express (non-reserved seat ¥760–1,020) or the green car on the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (¥780–1,010) trades a small fee for a guaranteed seat. Third, ride to a station back and catch a first train: on the Chūō Line Rapid heading inbound, get off one stop earlier toward Tokyo Station, then board the first train coming back the other way and you sit the whole ride.
Rain-day routes are nearly all underground. The JR Central Underground Passage links the West, Odakyū, Keiō, and Marunouchi sides; on the Fukutoshin side there is a 5–6-storey underground mall. About 90% of common routes are umbrella-free, with the one exception of roughly 50 m of open ground between the New South exit and Basuta Shinjuku. Shinjuku-sanchōme is also reachable underground via the Metro Promenade.
Last-train times vary by line: JR Yamanote around 0:30, Chūō Line Rapid around 0:20, Odakyū around midnight, Keiō around 0:20, Marunouchi around 0:15, Toei Ōedo around 0:30, Seibu-Shinjuku around 0:30. Missing the last train leaves a taxi (Shinjuku to Shibuya about ¥2,500, Shinjuku to Tokyo Station about ¥3,500) or a manga kissa (¥2,500–4,000 a night). First trains are around 4:30–5:00.
Pitfalls
Finally, five concrete pitfalls. Same name, different station—Shinjuku Station, Seibu-Shinjuku Station, and Shinjuku-sanchōme Station are three separate stops, 3–7 minutes apart on foot. When booking or using a map app, check whether the name ends in “Seibu” or “Sanchōme.”
Three Shinjuku subway stations are not in one place—Toei Shinjuku Line Shinjuku, Toei Ōedo Line Shinjuku, and Tochōmae Station (also Ōedo Line) are three distinct underground stations. For the Metropolitan Government Building, board at Tochōmae; for the National Stadium / Hamamatsuchō direction, use Ōedo Line Shinjuku; for Motoyawata / Jinbōchō, use Toei Shinjuku Line Shinjuku.
Keiō New Line vs Keiō Line—Keiō New Line Shinjuku is in the deep underground and through-services to the Toei Shinjuku Line; Keiō Line Shinjuku is in the shallow underground on the west side. Same “Keiō Shinjuku” name, different directions: the Keiō Line serves Meidaimae, Chōfu, and Hashimoto; the Keiō New Line splits at Sasazuka. Always check the platform number before boarding.
Underground exit codes don’t match map apps—underground exits carry codes like B12, B13, E5, but map apps show street addresses for above-ground buildings. When lost, an information desk (in the East, West, and South gate areas inside the station) is faster than the phone. Chinese / English support depends on the counter staff.
GPS fails underground—GPS does not work in the underground floors, so direction-sense from map apps is unreliable. The safest move is to check the wall-mounted exit guide for your target exit number before passing through the gate, then open the map only after surfacing for the final leg.
Glossary
- kaisatsuguchi: ticket gate / station entrance
- norikae: transfer between trains
- bansen: platform number
- tokkyū: limited express train, surcharge required
- shūden: last train of the day