Que faire à Shinjuku, Japan

Faits rapides: Across its 58 sprawling hectares, three distinct garden styles coexist: a formal French garden, an English landscape garden, and a traditional Japanese garden with a large pond. Over 20,000 trees from around the world thrive here, including some 1,500 cherry trees that burst into bloom each spring.

Points forts: A rare surviving example of an early 20th century large-scale landscape garden in Tokyo, it was once the private residence of a feudal lord before being given to the imperial family. The traditional Japanese garden section features a wooden pavilion where you can sit and watch koi fish swirl beneath you while sipping matcha tea served by kimono-clad attendants.

Faits rapides: Free observation decks on the 45th floor of both towers offer panoramic views stretching all the way to Mount Fuji on clear days. The building was designed to resemble a Gothic cathedral, with its twin towers rising 243 meters and its facade covered in 12,000 mirrored windows.

Points forts: Head up just before sunset and watch Tokyo transform from the 45th floor as the city lights flicker on below while the sky still holds color. The south observation deck stays open until 11 PM and offers a completely different mood at night, with far fewer crowds and the cityscape glittering like a circuit board.

Faits rapides: Hanazono Shrine hosts over 300 vendors during its annual flea markets, drawing thousands of bargain hunters each weekend. Dedicated to the gods of business prosperity and good fortune, this shrine sits in the middle of Shinjuku's modern high-rises and entertainment district.

Points forts: On New Year's Eve, the shrine's massive 500-kilogram bell is rung 108 times by volunteers, each strike symbolizing the cleansing of a human desire according to Buddhist tradition. The sound reverberates through the concrete canyons of Shinjuku, creating an surreal acoustic collision between ancient ritual and neon-lit modernity.

Faits rapides: Environ 60 petits bars et restaurants yakitori enfumés sont entassés dans ce réseau de ruelles étroites près de la gare de Shinjuku. Les habitants s'y serrent sur des tabourets depuis l'époque du marché noir de l'après-guerre dans les années 1940, lorsque le quartier a vu le jour.

Points forts: L'un des derniers bastions du vieux Tokyo, cette ruelle a échappé à la rénovation qui a transformé le quartier environnant en une forêt de gratte-ciels en verre. L'air y sent encore le poulet grillé au charbon de bois et la sauce soja, comme il y a 70 ans, et certains restaurants se procurent toujours leurs brochettes auprès des mêmes fournisseurs familiaux.

Faits rapides: Blotti entre les gratte-ciel de Shinjuku, ce labyrinthe de 200 minuscules bars occupe six ruelles étroites qui ont survécu à la reconstruction d'après-guerre. La plupart des bars n'ont que 4 à 6 places, forçant les inconnus à engager la conversation autour d'un whisky ou d'un saké.

Points forts: Beaucoup de bars ici sont encore tenus par des propriétaires vieillissants qui ont veillé sur le même comptoir pendant plus de 50 ans, certains refusant de servir quiconque paraît avoir moins de 30 ans. Un bar a un chat qui décide de l'heure de la dernière commande en sautant sur les genoux du client pour signaler qu'il est temps de partir.

Faits rapides: Over 13,000 artifacts span 700 years of samurai history, from the Kamakura period through the Edo era. Visitors can handle real samurai swords and try on authentic armor under staff supervision.

Points forts: A retired samurai armor restorer personally maintains the collection and occasionally demonstrates the 45-minute process of dressing in a full suit of armor. The museum's wooden kendo floor still carries the scuff marks and dents from decades of practice by Tokyo's university kendo clubs.

Faits rapides: With over 300 bars, clubs, and small restaurants packed into just a few blocks, this tiny district has one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQ+ venues anywhere in the world. More than 30 percent of the bars here are tiny operations seating fewer than 10 people, making every night feel like a private party.

Points forts: Many of the bars are run by retired drag queens who have been pouring drinks in the same 10-seat counter since the 1980s, and they remember every regular by name. You can walk into a four-seat basement bar at midnight and find a 70-year-old former cabaret star singing Edith Piaf while mixing your highball.

Faits rapides: Shinjuku's busiest commuter hub sits on one side of this green corridor, yet the park stays surprisingly quiet with over 700 cherry trees lining its paths. What was once a vacant lot awaiting a never-built sports stadium transformed into this 2.25-hectare stretch of greenery that connects two of the city's major skyscraper districts.

Points forts: On weekdays around lunch, you'll see office workers napping on the grass in their suits, a quiet Tokyo ritual that feels almost choreographed. The park also doubles as an open-air art gallery with rotating installations from the nearby Tokyo Opera City Gallery, so the sculptures change every few months.