Shinjuku Station to Chuo Park: Zazen by the Waterfall Guide

I took the Sobu Line from the Chiba area to Shinjuku to attend a special limited-time event called “Outdoor Gear OUTDOOR FESTA by Rakuten,” which brought together a variety of outdoor and camping brands from Rakuten Ichiba.
At this event, you could see and touch the gear on-site, place orders online right there, and even earn Rakuten points.
Even if you don’t end up buying anything, just browsing camping gear is fun in itself, isn’t it?

Heading to Shinjuku from the Chiba area.

This is a record of my train journey.
If you take the Sobu Line, you can get to Shinjuku without any transfers—super easy!

I’ve arrived at Shinjuku Station. Now I’m heading to the Southeast Gate.

Shinjuku Station is not only the busiest station in Japan, but also in the world—so naturally, it’s packed with people.
There’s no time to stop and check directions. I keep moving while carefully watching the signs overhead.
Shinjuku Station is huge, and one wrong turn can lead to a long detour.
After exiting through the Southeast Gate, I walked down a large staircase just outside the station—and there it was, a big sign for an outdoor festival.

OUTDOOR FESTA by Rakuten

The venue wasn’t what I had imagined when I heard the word “camping”—it was surprisingly small.
Inside, it was packed with people, and even the entrance line was long.
They were offering Rakuten Points if you wrote reviews or did something on X (formerly Twitter), but the crowd made it hard to look around at all.
I didn’t feel like doing anything, so I just grabbed the free beer and left shortly after.

Honestly, I felt that browsing camping gear on a quiet online store gives a better sense of the fun and excitement of camping than trying to check out real items in the middle of a crowded event.

A geezer drinking beer.

I took a walk from the Southeast Exit of Shinjuku Station around to the West Exit.

I headed from the Southeast Exit, passing through the East Exit, and made my way to the West Exit.
As shown in the picture, I kept Lumine Est on my left as a landmark and walked straight ahead.

I stopped to take a photo in front of Mizuho Bank and Gucci (June 2025).
To the left in the photo below, you can see Bic Camera.
The East Exit is visible ahead in the background of the photo.
Behind me is the Tokyo Metro Shinjuku Station B11 exit.

I passed by Gucci and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, then followed the train tracks heading toward the West Exit.

This is the area under the elevated tracks.
I’m walking under the tracks heading toward the West Exit.

I passed through the area under the elevated tracks.
If you turn left here, you’ll reach the West Exit.
Shinjuku Station is so large that just walking this far was already quite tiring.

Heading to Shinjuku Central Park

Shinjuku Central Park is about a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku Station’s West Exit. It’s a quiet space with free entry, featuring a waterfall, greenery, and plenty of benches. Despite its convenient access, it’s less crowded than the area right in front of the station—especially in the early afternoon on weekdays, which I highly recommend.

Next, from the West Exit, I’ll head toward the distinctive building on the right side of the photo—the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower—as a landmark.

This is Gallery Street.

This is the Shinjuku Center Building.

After that, I just need to keep going straight along Chuo Street to reach the park.

I saw some grass along the way. There was also a restroom, so I decided to take a short break before continuing.

While waiting for the kids to finish in the restroom, a geezer dozed off.

A kid came back from the restroom and calmly stretched out beside the geezer.

Lying on my back, I gaze up at the sky.
In the gap between the buildings, a quiet patch of blue floats above the city.

Shinjuku Central Park

Shinjuku Central Park is a free, open oasis in the heart of Tokyo. Conveniently located about a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, it offers a peaceful atmosphere with benches, grassy areas, and even a waterfall. It’s the perfect place to spend a quiet moment and reflect on yourself.

Shinjuku Shiraito Falls

In addition to Shinjuku Shiraito Falls, the park features a splash pond for kids, a children’s rest area, a multi-purpose sports field, grassy lawns, and even the Shinjuku Niagara Falls. It’s such a large park that you might not have enough time to see everything in one visit.

Playground equipment in the kids’ play area

There are plenty of play structures here. Having visited many parks with my kids before, I felt this place was by far the most crowded. Since the equipment area was packed, I hesitated to let them play, but a kid started riding a tricycle on their own.

The kid was briefly fascinated with the tricycle, but after quickly finishing one lap, they ran off and tried all the playground equipment, happily going down the big slide!

Zazen in front of the waterfall

There’s a geezer sitting in zazen while the kids are playing.

Sitting down by the waterfall, I closed my eyes and simply sat there.
The sounds of people talking, the wind blowing, and leaves rustling filled the air.
My awareness naturally shifted from the outside to the inside.
I focused on counting my breaths, and the noise in my mind gradually faded away.
There was no need to do anything.
Just being there felt comfortable.
Suddenly, a child’s call brought my awareness sharply back.
When I opened my eyes, I realized I wasn’t the only one meditating.

Basic Information

Summary

I went to a camping festival in Shinjuku, but I got overwhelmed by the large crowds. Afterwards, I headed to Shinjuku Central Park. Despite being only a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, it felt like a peaceful oasis full of greenery that really helped me relax. The park is so spacious that I couldn’t explore everything in just one day, so I’d like to visit again and take my time.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me.