6 Shinjuku Hostels Worth Booking and Why

Finding a hostel in Shinjuku isn’t the hard part. Working out whether you want a bare-bones bunk in the middle of Kabukicho, a design-forward place with its own café, bar, and karaoke, or something in between is where most people end up going in circles.

We’ve made close to 40 hotel stays across Tokyo on many visits, ranging from hostels to business and apartment hotels, to higher-end properties. Shinjuku is one of the areas we know best, having stayed and spent time there across multiple trips, at different times of day and night. That first-hand knowledge is what sits behind every property we include and every recommendation we make.

This guide is for travellers who’ve settled on Shinjuku as their base and want to clearly understand the hostel options. Below, we cover where the six main hostels in Shinjuku are located, break down the differences between hostel styles, and run through each property so you can quickly narrow down your options and book, knowing what to expect.

Also considering capsule hotels? This guide covers hostels only — classic dorm hostels and budget guest houses, to poshtels and concept hostels. If you want traditional or modern capsule hotels or dedicated male and female capsule hotels, see our Shinjuku capsule hotels guide.

At a Glance – Shinjuku Hostels

Shinjuku gives hostel travellers something most budget areas in Tokyo can’t, a bed within walking distance of one of the world’s great nightlife districts, with trains running late and late-night food on every corner.

You pay more per bunk than in Asakusa or Ueno, but if Shinjuku is where you want to be at night, the extra cost often makes more sense than a cheaper bed somewhere else and a long ride back.

Not sure which property fits your trip? Here’s the short version.

Disclaimer:  This article has affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no cost to you. See privacy policy.

• You want a hostel with social spaces and a built-in bar, café, and karaoke → Unplan Shinjuku. Design-forward building on the quieter east side between Shinjuku-sanchome and Shinjuku Gyoen. Click here to check out and book.
• You want to be close to Kabukicho with a café/bar → Imano Tokyo Hostel. Pod-style bunks and private rooms between Shinjuku-sanchome and the nightlife core. Click here to check out and book.
• You want a concept stay over a comfortable sleep → Book and Bed Tokyo Shinjuku. Bunks built into floor-to-ceiling bookshelves above a city-view bar/lounge in central Shinjuku. Click here to check out and book.
• You want the cheapest bed or private family/group room in the wider Shinjuku area → Tokyo House Inn. Basic dorms and family or quad rooms sleeping 2–4 with a shared bathroom, one stop north in Shin-Okubo. Click here to check out and book.
• You need a budget room for a family of 5 → Imano Tokyo Hostel. A 10 sqm family room sleeping five in Kabukicho. Tight on space but hard to beat on price near Shinjuku Station. Click here to check out and book.

The full details for each recommended property are further below.

Click Here to Join our Travel to Tokyo Facebook Group

Why Shinjuku Works So Well for Hostel Travellers

The Kabukicho-side hostels in this guide put you directly in Shinjuku’s nightlife core – streets lined with ramen shops, izakaya, arcades, and bars that stay open late. If you want to walk home through that at midnight rather than riding a train back to it, those properties deliver. Streets near Kabukicho stay loud well past midnight, and beds normally cost more here than in Asakusa, Ueno, or Akihabara.

The South-Eastern and Shin-Okubo options sit a step back, which suits travellers who want access to the rest of Shinjuku plus Kabukicho (without sleeping in the middle of it).

Shinjuku Station connects JR lines to Mitaka, Yokohama, Hakone, and across the city, with multiple subway lines adding more options. Day trips are straightforward, and staying out late doesn’t mean watching the clock for the last train home.

Several hostels here have invested in cafés, bars, rooftops, or concept designs that make the common areas worth spending time in. The cheapest options are basic with the fittings, shared bathrooms, and lounges reflecting the price.

Whether you’re on the Kabukicho side, the quieter east side around Shinjuku-sanchome, or one stop north in Shin-Okubo shapes your stay as much as which hostel you pick.

How Shinjuku Fits Into Tokyo’s Hostel Scene

Tokyo’s hostels are spread across several neighbourhoods, each with a different feel. The main alternatives to Shinjuku are:

• Asakusa and Kuramae. The highest concentration of hostels in the city, in a neighbourhood of temples, low-rise backstreets, and river walks. Strong on atmosphere and well-suited to first-timers. The trade-off is longer rides to west-side nightlife and Shinjuku itself.
• Ueno and Okachimachi. Good transport connections, including direct airport access, and close to the park, museums, and Ameyoko market. Less atmosphere at street level than Asakusa or Shinjuku.
• Akihabara and Asakusabashi. A smaller cluster of hostels in the electronics and anime district. Works well for travellers whose main interests are tech and otaku culture, with solid central rail connections.

If a lively, well-connected base matters as much as the price of your bed, Shinjuku is a good fit. If quieter streets and more old-Tokyo feel are the priority, Asakusa and Ueno are the better bases. Shinjuku is an easy train ride from there.

Types of Hostels You’ll Find in Shinjuku

Shinjuku’s hostel options range from bare-bones crash pads to properties where the bar, café, and social spaces are as much the point as the bed. Here’s how the main styles break down.

• Classic dorm hostels. Bunk beds in shared rooms, shared bathrooms, basic common areas – the straightforward hostel format. Some have a small kitchen or lounge. Yamate Rest House and Tokyo House Inn fall into this category. They work if price is the main filter and you don’t expect the property itself to be an experience.
• Design hostels and poshtels. A newer style that treats the common spaces as a real selling point – ground-floor cafés or bars open to the public, social lounges, sometimes rooftops or karaoke. The bed is still a bunk or pod, but you’re paying for more than just the sleeping space. Unplan Shinjuku is the main example in this guide.
• Concept hostels. Properties where a single idea shapes the entire design. Book and Bed Tokyo builds its bunks into floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and is primarily a bar/reading lounge where you can also sleep. If the concept resonates, it’s a distinctive stay. If you just need a quiet bunk, look elsewhere.
• Budget guesthouses. Properties that call themselves hostels but function as very simple shared-bathroom accommodation. A step up from a capsule in terms of room size, a step down in terms of any social infrastructure. Nikka Hotel and Tokyo House Inn sit here. They suit travellers who want the cheapest private or shared room available, without caring whether there are common areas.

Where the Shinjuku Hostels Are Located

To make it easier to match your priorities, it helps to think of Shinjuku around the station as a handful of smaller zones: Kabukicho, South East Shinjuku, and Shin Okubo. See our map below for a better sense of the main areas where hostels and capsule hotels are located.

---

South East Shinjuku Hostels

South‑east of the main station, around Shinjuku‑sanchome and the edge of Shinjuku Gyoen, you get a softer version of Shinjuku. This side also includes Shinjuku Ni‑chome, the city’s best‑known LGBTQ+ nightlife district, with small bars and clubs clustered on a handful of blocks.

Streets here mix small restaurants, shops, and apartments, and you’re an easy walk from the park, major department stores, and the big station, but a step back from Kabukicho’s intensity. You can still easily walk to the Kabukicho nightlife and Shinjuku Station, but your immediate surroundings feel more residential and café‑like than bar‑heavy.

Closer to the south and the new south exits, you’ll find the bus terminals and plenty of shopping complexes. Streets are busy during the day and early evening with commuters and shoppers, but tend to quieten more at night compared with the bars to the north.

---

1. Unplan Shinjuku

Unplan Shinjuku is a modern hostel/poshtel in Shinjuku 5‑chome, with dorm beds, semi‑private “box” bunks, and private rooms above a café/bar, a shared kitchen, and a social lounge.

It’s a good fit for solo travellers and small groups who want a design‑led hostel with social spaces on the quieter east side between Shinjuku‑sanchome and Shinjuku Gyoen. The trade-off is a longer walk to the Kabukicho area.

Walk: Roughly 6–8 min from Shinjuku‑sanchome Station, about 10-12 min to Shinjuku Gyoen, and around 15 min to JR Shinjuku Station (East Exit).
Book: View Unplan Shinjuku on Booking.com

Kabukicho Hostels

This is the nightlife core of Shinjuku: neon, host clubs, small bars, karaoke, and late‑night food. You can walk to Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, and the east side of Shinjuku Station in minutes.

The upside is maximum Shinjuku energy with minimal walking. The downside is noise, touts, and streets that feel gritty into the early hours, which can be a shock if you’re expecting a quiet temple district. If you’re a light sleeper or prefer calmer surroundings, you may be better off on the Gyoen or south‑side edges and heading into Kabukicho for the evening rather than sleeping in the middle of it.

---

2. Imano Tokyo Hostel / Café & Bar Shinjuku

Imano Tokyo Hostel sits between Shinjuku‑sanchome and Kabukicho, with pod‑style bunks plus private and family rooms above a ground‑floor café/bar, a shared kitchen, and laundry.

It suits travellers who want a social, café‑style hostel close to both Kabukicho and Shinjuku‑sanchome without being right on the main nightlife drag, but bunks and rooms are compact, and shared spaces can feel busy, with little separation between the café and the lounge.

Walk: Roughly 8–10 min from JR Shinjuku Station and a short walk to Shinjuku‑sanchome Station and Golden Gai.
Book: View Imano Tokyo Hostel Shinjuku on Booking.com

---

3. Shinjuku Nikka Hotel

Shinjuku Nikka Hotel is a hostel‑style property on the west side of Shinjuku with shared and private rooms using shared bathrooms and basic facilities, a straightforward choice for budget‑minded travellers who mainly want a simple place to sleep close to, rather than directly inside, the Kabukicho and station core.

The trade‑off is basic rooms and shared facilities with limited atmosphere, and a location that isn’t as close to the main Shinjuku nightlife strips as some other options.

Walk: Around 7 minutes from Shinjuku Station, depending on the route, with various Shinjuku‑area stations nearby.
Book: View Shinjuku Nikka Hotel Hostel on Booking.com

4. Book and Bed Tokyo Shinjuku

Book and Bed Tokyo Shinjuku is a book‑themed hostel in central Shinjuku near Lumine Est, where bunks are built into bookshelves above a bar/lounge with city views, compact pods, shared bathrooms, and thousands of books and manga.

It’s targeted at book and design fans who want a quirky, photogenic hostel experience within walking distance of Kabukicho and Golden Gai. You’ll have to accept small bunks (plywood-style cubbies with curtains) and a bright, busy lounge that isn’t great for long, quiet sleeps.

Walk: Around five minutes from Shinjuku Station, with Kabukicho and Golden Gai within easy walking distance.
Book: View Book and Bed Tokyo Shinjuku on Booking.com

Shin‑Okubo Hostels

One stop north on the Yamanote Line, Shin‑Okubo has its own distinct feel, with Korean restaurants, K‑pop shops, and a slightly younger crowd. Budget hostels such as Tokyo House Inn sit in and around this pocket.

Here, you get slightly better value and a different food scene while keeping Shinjuku Station just a short train ride or 15–20‑minute walk away.

The trade‑off is that you’re not walking straight out into the Shinjuku station plazas or Kabukicho. You either ride one stop or budget a bit more walking time at the start and end of each day.

---

5. Tokyo House Inn

Tokyo House Inn is a budget hostel/guesthouse north‑east of Shinjuku with dorm beds, simple private rooms using shared bathrooms, family rooms, basic common areas, and simple breakfast on some plans.

It’s best for budget travellers who want one of the cheaper hostel‑style bases in the wider Shinjuku area and don’t mind small, simple rooms, thin walls, and a longer walk to JR Shinjuku than from core‑area hostels.

Walk: Walkable distance to Shin‑Okubo, Higashi‑Shinjuku, and the Shinjuku east side; expect a longer walk than from properties right by JR Shinjuku.
Book: View Tokyo House Inn (Female and Mixed) on Booking.com and Tokyo House Inn (Male Only) on Booking.com

6. Yamate Rest House (male‑only)

Yamate Rest House is a male‑only hostel in the Shinjuku area with dorm‑style beds, shared bathrooms, laundry facilities, and a small lounge/TV corner, aimed at travellers who want a very low‑cost place to sleep.

It suits men who are comfortable with a very simple hostel environment and basic interiors, trading polish and mixed‑gender options for one of the cheaper bunk‑bed stays within walking distance of several Shinjuku‑area stations.

Walk: Around 9–15 min from nearby Shinjuku‑area stations such as Higashi‑Shinjuku and other subway stops, with Shinjuku Gyoen and central Shinjuku reachable by foot or short train ride.
Book: View Yamate Rest House on Booking.com

Final Thoughts

The Kabukicho-side hostels in this guide put you directly in Shinjuku’s nightlife core. Streets lined with ramen shops, izakaya, arcades, and bars that stay open late. If you want to walk home through that at midnight rather than riding a train back to it, those properties deliver. The east-side and Shin-Okubo options sit a step back from the noise, which suits travellers who want Shinjuku access without sleeping in the middle of it.

Shinjuku Station connects JR lines to Mitaka, Yokohama, Hakone, and across the city, with multiple subway lines adding more options. Day trips are straightforward, and staying out late doesn’t mean watching the clock for the last train home.

Several hostels here have invested in cafés, bars, rooftops, or concept designs that make the common areas worth spending time in. The cheapest options are basic. Streets near Kabukicho stay loud well past midnight, and beds cost more here than in Asakusa, Ueno, or Akihabara. Which area you sleep in shapes your stay as much as which hostel you pick.

Looking for capsule hotels instead ? Traditional or modern capsule hotels or dedicated male and female capsule hotels are covered in our Shinjuku capsule hotels guide.

Join our Japan Travel Facebook Groups

You may also like: