Shinjuku 新宿 is my favorite area in Tokyo. I’ve been taking pictures of Shinjuku since 2004. During these 13 years I’ve seen this neibourhood transforming and I feel some kind of nostalgia when looking at my old Shinjuku pictures.
Shinjuku developed as a neuralgic point of activity in Japan since the beginning of the Edo area when a “juku” 宿, a place to stop and rest, was stablished on the side of Koshu Kaido, one of the five main routes of commerce in Edo Japan. Nowadays, Koshu Kaido is the avenue on the south exit of Shinjuku station that is used by more than 3 million people everyday.
Shinjuku was totally destroyed in the war and rebuilt from scratch after it. These are pictures from old Shinjuku, ranging from the 50s until the 70s. I love the general structure of the station and the surrounding streets hasn’t changed too much.
This is Shinjuku in the 70s. On the left side you can see a building with the sign Sakuraya さくらや, it is an electronics and home appliances shop.
This picture I took it in 2004 and also shows the same Sakuraya さくらや building. Sakuraya is no longer there, now it is a Bic Camera.
Shinjuku west exit area in the 70s.
Shinjuku west exit area in now.
Naito Shinjuku 内藤新宿 (Second dot from the right to the left on the map) was the first stop after Nihonbashi on the Koshu Kaido route during the Edo period. Naito was the name of an important daimyo who lived where now Shinjuku Gyoen park is located.
