by John Mayhugh » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:09 pm
Here's a little more general info. Feel free to message me if you want to get more detailed recommendations or have some questions.
As I mentioned before, I'm not a big seafood fan. For those that are, it's certainly easy to find. Shinjuku is a big shopping & entertainment area and there are all sorts of restaurants there, including foreign ones. You didn't mention how familiar you are with Japanese food. There's plenty to choose from.
I really recommend a trip to Ginza for the kamameshi restaurant I mentioned earlier. This is also the best-known shopping area and the people watching is great. It can be interesting to go to the basements of department stores. Kind of their grocery area. You can see many things I would never consider eating!
Don't have any specific places in Shinjuku to suggest, but these are good things to try. You should have no trouble finding these:
noodle shops (Yabu Soba might also be a destination place)
izakaya (kind of bar/tapas places) look for red lantern outside
korean bbq (meat cooked on little charcoal grills at the table)
shabushabu (meat cooked in boiling broth with vegetables)
japanese curry (not the same as indian)
tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet)
There will be lots of places with english menus in Shinjuku. If you don't see a menu, there are very often plastic versions of the food in the window outside and you can just point to those. You can find some of the best places to eat in alleys and small side streets. Also lots of restaurants in the underground shopping area in Shinjuku.
For sightseeing, if you want to see "old Japan", you can go to Asakusa district or even better take an hour trip out to Kamakura. By being based in Shinjuku, you have an easy train trip to just about anywhere. Assuming you're flying into Narita, I think the Narita Express train is just about the simplest way to get to Shinjuku.
Have a good trip.