Back to Tokyo: APA Hotel Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower

Leaving Matsushima

After one last soak and breakfast at the ryokan, we walked down to JR Matsushima Station with a can of Boss coffee from the vending machine, because no trip to Japan is complete without one.

A can of Boss coffee outside Matsushima Station — Boss, as always

The platform at JR Matsushima Station — Boss, as always

From there it was a local train back to Sendai, the Shinkansen down to Omiya, then a very packed train into Shinjuku. Sunday afternoon in Tokyo, everyone was out.

Into Kabukicho

Our hotel for the last three nights was in Kabukicho, Shinjuku’s famous (and slightly infamous) entertainment district, just a few minutes’ walk from the station. In the daytime, it’s mostly bright signs, big crowds and Godzilla. Yes, Godzilla: his head sticks out of the top of the Toho cinema building, looking down at the whole street.

The neon corner at the entrance to Kabukicho — Kabukicho

Kabukicho’s main street with Godzilla on top of the Toho building — Kabukicho

The Godzilla head above the street — Godzilla

Minmin in front of the Toho building and Godzilla — Godzilla

APA Hotel and the Takkyubin Boxes

We stayed at APA Hotel Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower, a 28-floor tower right in the middle of everything.

Here’s the thing: we didn’t drag all our luggage down from Hokkaido. Before leaving Sapporo, we’d sent part of it ahead to this hotel by takkyubin (Japan’s luggage delivery service), so for the whole leg down to Sendai and Tokyo, we only carried backpacks on all those trains. Best decision of the trip.

When we checked in, the hotel had our suitcases waiting, still packed in big cardboard boxes. And the staff didn’t just hand them over. They carefully opened the boxes, slid our suitcases out and checked everything with us, like it was the most important job in the building. So meticulous lol.

Hotel staff unboxing our suitcases in the lobby — The great unboxing

The room was classic APA: small, but every centimetre is used, and the bed is comfy. Our two suitcases took up about half the floor.

Our suitcases unpacked in the room — Our room

Sushi Mamire

Late lunch was at Sushi Mamire, a sushi shop on Kabukicho’s Central Road, a few steps from the hotel. It’s open 24 hours, and the tuna and salmon are their thing.