Shinjuku Night Shrine / 夜の花園神社

Just outside of Kabukicho in Shinjuku, there's a shrine very much treasured by those working or living nearby, which is Hanazono Shrine.

日本一の繁華街・歌舞伎町に隣接する神社、花園神社。東京では芸能の神様としても有名です。

With the increasing popularity & recognition of Kabukicho, this shrine is also becoming a bit touristy.

Of course, day time visit isn't bad at all, but give it a try after sunset if you want feel more authenticity.

近年では歌舞伎町が世界的に有名になってきたおかげで、花園神社にもたくさんの外国人観光客が訪れているとか。

私個人的には、夜の静かな花園神社がお薦めです。

As this video captures, the approach from the Yasukini Dori street looks this beautiful & mystical with the lanterns on both sides.

靖国通りに面する参道から入ると、両側に灯る灯籠が非常に幻想的で、まるで映画のような雰囲気を味わえます。

What I like to see here is that people working nearby pay a visit on their way home though the door of the main hall is already closed.

この時間帯に来ると、近隣で働いていらっしゃる方が帰宅途中に参拝されていたりして、この場所が都会のど真ん中で様々な人に愛されていることがわかります。

The point is not how religious they are, but simply how thankful they are. (because we Japanese are also becoming much less religious nowadays)

This video which captured one festival there shows how important & valuable the place is for them.

こちらの動画は花園神社でのお祭りの様子を紹介したもの。都会の真ん中もド真ん中（笑）、歌舞伎町の隣でこんなお祭りがあるのは素敵ですよね！

It's always beautiful to find something treasured by local people, isn't it? Make sure to include this place in your itinerary for your night in Shinjuku.

酉の市など一年を通していくつか大きなお祭りがあるので、皆様も東京旅行の際にはぜひ一度チェックしてみてはいかがでしょうか？

そして、夜の参拝もぜひ！