In 1698, the place surrounding the today's Shinjuku Station (including the Shinjuku Gyoen park) was owned by a
daimyo named Naitō. One of the 5 major roads from Nihonbashi, connecting Edo to Kofu, was passing right through this area and since the distance between Nihonbashi and the first station was too big, a new station was established on the property of the lord Naitō. So the new station received the name Naitō Shinjuku (from
shin - new and
shuku or
juku - station) and later it grew to become a town.
Since the area was devastated in 1945, there was almost no structure left from that period, but the streets remained mostly on the same place, preserving the shape of the original Naitō Shinjuku.
Today Shinjuku hosts some of the most colorful shopping areas I have encountered, a place where I feel good every time I visit:
EXIF info:
Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/1200s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200