Photo Spot · Shinjuku

Shinjuku Southern Terrace 新宿サザンテラス

A wide wooden boardwalk south of Shinjuku Station where the clock-faced NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building looms over trees and cafes like a Tokyo Empire State, best during the winter illumination.

About

Shinjuku Southern Terrace is a 350 m pedestrian promenade running from the station's South Exit toward Yoyogi, partly built over the JR tracks. Its open deck, tree-lined path and low-rise shops create a European-style space, but what draws photographers is the view of the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building, the 272 m spire-topped skyscraper with a giant clock that is often compared to the Empire State Building. From the terrace you can frame the tower above trees and lamps, and from the footbridge over the tracks you can catch trains streaming in and out of the world's busiest station. In winter the trees are wrapped in illuminations and the whole terrace glows.

Highlights

• NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building's spire and clock face above the promenade
• Winter illumination along the tree-lined boardwalk
• Train views over the tracks south of Shinjuku Station
• Takashimaya Times Square and NEWoMan towers nearby
• Free, open-air and open around the clock

Tips

• Shoot the Docomo tower at blue hour when the clock face is lit and the sky is still blue.
• A 70-200 mm from the terrace end isolates the spire above the trees.
• Winter illumination usually runs from November to February; dates vary.
• Weekday evenings are busy with commuters, so tripods are impractical; shoot handheld with image stabilisation.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• JR EAST Travel Service Center · Shinjuku New South ExitTourist Info · 210 m away
• Shinjuku Station · South & New South Exit Coin LockersLuggage Storage · 230 m away
• SAGAWA Baggage Counter · Busta Shinjuku (Tokyo Tourist Information Center 3F)Luggage Storage · 250 m away
• Watering HoleBars & Nightlife · 270 m away
• Tokyo Tourist Information Center · Busta ShinjukuTourist Info · 280 m away
• NTT Docomo Yoyogi BuildingLandmark & Tower · 280 m away
• Tsukemen Gonokami Seisakusho (Shinjuku)Ramen & Noodles · 300 m away
• Busta Shinjuku · Bus Terminal Coin LockersLuggage Storage · 320 m away