APA Hotel Shinjuku-Kabukicho Tower
by the TopOfHotel team
APA Kabukicho Tower is the chain at its top of the range — a newish high-rise with a communal onsen and city-view rooms in the heart of Kabukicho.
APA Kabukicho Tower is the chain at its top of the range — a newish high-rise with a communal onsen and city-view rooms in the heart of Kabukicho.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
If you have stayed at an APA before and filed the chain under "tiny budget box you only sleep in," APA Hotel Shinjuku-Kabukicho Tower will make you reconsider. It opened in 2015 as a 30-storey high-rise, and it is a clear step up from the standard APA — a wide lobby with thick carpet, a check-in counter with several staff, and fast automated booking kiosks. Rooms are still compact in the APA tradition, so set your expectations there, but they are clean and well kept. The payoff is height: rooms above the 20th floor look out over the Shinjuku skyline, with the Cocoon Tower and the Mode Gakuen building glowing at night.
Food and amenities
The single best thing here is the communal onsen on the 28th floor, split by gender, with an outdoor rotenburo bath where you soak with the city spread out below. After a full day walking Shinjuku — easily 20,000 steps among the towers — heading up to soak is the kind of payoff most city hotels simply cannot offer. There is a restaurant on site, free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour front desk, and non-smoking rooms. Real-guest scores reach 9.1, well above the roughly 8.0 most APA branches sit at, which tells you this one was built to a higher standard than the name leads some people to expect.
Location and getting there
The hotel is dead-center Kabukicho. Step outside and you are among restaurants, a Don Quijote, and Golden Gai just 300 metres away. Shinjuku Station is an 8-minute walk and Seibu-Shinjuku only 5 minutes, so it works as a full-time base for exploring Shinjuku and beyond.
Things to know before booking
Rooms stay compact, the APA way — fine for a city base, less so if you want to spread out. Kabukicho is busy and crowded at every hour, so the street outside is never quiet. And the onsen draws a crowd in the early evening; go late and you will have more space to yourself.
Our take
APA Hotel Shinjuku-Kabukicho Tower suits couples and travelers who want APA at its best — an onsen soak, a city view, and a base in the heart of Shinjuku, at a rate that is still within reach. We recommend it with confidence as the bridge between budget APA and a full 4-star hotel.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A communal onsen on the high floors, with an outdoor rotenburo bath that looks over the Shinjuku skyline — a proper place to unwind after sightseeing.
- Upper-floor rooms above the 20th floor get a genuine Shinjuku city view, including the Cocoon Tower and Mode Gakuen building lit up at night.
- It is a relatively new high-rise, clean and a clear step up from the standard APA — a wide lobby with thick carpet and a multi-staff check-in counter.
- The location is dead-center Kabukicho, an 8-minute walk to Shinjuku Station and just 5 minutes to Seibu-Shinjuku, with shops and a Don Quijote right downstairs.
- Real-guest scores reach 9.1, well above the roughly 8.0 most APA branches sit at.
- Rooms are still on the compact side, in the usual APA mold.
- Kabukicho is loud and crowded at all hours, so this is not the spot if you want a quiet street outside.
- The onsen gets fairly busy in the early evening; go late and you will have more room.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Insider Tips
- Hit the communal onsen late at night — it is quieter than the early-evening rush.
- Ask for a high floor: the city view is better and the room is quieter.
- Wander over to Golden Gai, 300m away, in the evening for a drink among the tiny bars.