7 best things to do in Shinjuku Ni-chome during the day

Hammocks, craft beer and foot baths – does it get any better than this? It does indeed, because in addition to the aforementioned features, Donyoku also has a designated dog day where a pair of shiba inu are brought in every Wednesday to hang out with cafe’s patrons.

On top of coffee and cocktails to sip while you flip through books from the café’s travelling bookshelf, there are also mouthwatering bites you can nosh on like Donyoku’s signature banh mi sandwiches and roast beef rice bowls. Coupled with friendly patrons, it’s the sort of place that you wish you could stay in forever.

This former laundromat-turned-café has everything you could want out of a casual space to relax and chit chat – good drinks, good books and great company (there are three resident cats). 

The staff here speak Japanese, English and Spanish, and make it especially easy for international visitors to feel comfortable. However, you could also just spend an afternoon quietly reading the titles from the bookshelf that takes up an entire wall in the café. The space is also frequently used to host events like book club meetings, spoken word poetry sessions and DJ sets. 

Located just a few minutes' walk from Ni-chome, this café and bar is all about creating a better world. It focuses on raising money and awareness for sustainable development goals such as clean water, gender and LGBT+ equality and green energy.

Shinjuku Dialogue is headed by transgender spokeswoman Syun-san, whose upbeat personality you can catch during its bar opening hours from 6pm to midnight. This safe space prides itself on being a place anyone can visit and have an open dialogue while enjoying tasty food and drinks. A portion of the proceeds from every drink order is donated to the social cause of your choice. The café menu includes seasonal Japanese-style rice dishes, Western sweets and snacks starting from ¥250.

Hoshio is not just any bar in Shinjuku Ni-chome; it’s also an art gallery, music venue and event space. The gallery focuses on young, up-and-coming artists while the exhibition changes every fortnight – plus, it’s manned by a different arts practitioner every day, be it a musician, photographer or visual artist.

From Monday to Thursday, you can also drop by Hoshio for lunch (11.30am-2.30pm). A collaboration with travelling curry specialist Spice Hut, the curry menu by chef Kobayashi has been a hit with the locals. The curry dishes (from ¥800) are made with fresh seasonal ingredients, and since it’s not too oily or heavy, you can easily pair them with a cold beer.