Photo/Illutration A restaurant zone on the second floor is designed under the theme of festivities, and offers cheap but tasty local specialties from across Japan. (Ayateru Hosozawa)

Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, a 225-meter-tall entertainment complex, has opened in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward with the ambitious goal of drawing in hordes of foreign tourists by embodying the fun of the famed entertainment district.

At an opening ceremony on April 14, Shinjuku Ward Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi said he holds high hopes for what the new high-rise will mean for rejuvenating the local economy.

“I am grateful to the Tokyu Group for having continued the facility’s construction even amid the coronavirus crisis,” he said. “I am confident that this tower will accelerate the revival of Kabukicho.”

Unlike common commercial complexes in Tokyo, the building does not have any offices or apparel shops and is completely oriented toward entertainment.

The mega entertainment complex comes outfitted with two luxury hotels, a traditional theater, a concert hall and a large cinema area, and sits on the former site of Shinjuku Milano-za, which was one of the biggest movie theaters in Japan.

“This tower will provide Shinjuku with a new attraction for visitors to experience its concept of ‘pursuing their favorite things to the fullest extent’ here all day long,” Tokyu Corp. President Kazuo Takahashi said.

One of its big perks is the nearby shuttle bus station that connects Tokyu Kabukicho Tower with Narita and Haneda airports.

“With its direct access to Haneda Airport, this facility will become a globally competitive entertainment supplier,” Takahashi said.

With 48 floors towering above ground and five floors below, Tokyu Kabukicho Tower boasts a light blue exterior design made to resemble a fountain splashing water up into the sky.

It houses two hotels operated by the Tokyu Group: Bellustar Tokyo and Hotel Groove Shinjuku. Bellustar Tokyo offers 97 guest rooms from the 39th to 47th floors, while Hotel Groove Shinjuku has 538 rooms from the 18th through 38th.

The average room charge runs upwards of 80,000 yen ($593) for Bellustar Tokyo, with the most luxurious room in excess of 3 million yen.

The ninth and 10th floors are occupied by 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku, an eight-screen movie theater boasting 752 seats.

All the seating is billed as “premium” since the seats are up to 2.3 times larger than ordinary cinema seats, allowing them to come with side tables and luggage storage spaces.

Class S seats in the center row go for 6,500 yen and Class A seats, located elsewhere, cost 4,500 yen.

The design of its audio system was overseen by famed composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March.

The complex also includes the Zepp Shinjuku (Tokyo) concert hall, a theater with 900 seats, and an amusement facility that offers experiences, not to mention the various dining and shopping options.  

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