City of taxis That is Shinjuku
As the sun dips below the skyline, Tokyo transforms. Neon lights blaze, and the hum of activity intensifies. One thing dominates the scene: taxis. Over 50,000 roam the streets. They’re an integral part of the nightscape, especially in Shinjuku. Their headlights form rivers of light. Have you ever wondered what it would look like without them? Let’s explore their world. Where they wait, who they carry, and how they shape this city.
All the areas around Shinjuku station have massive taxi ranks. Some extend hundreds of meters. Upon arrival, each driver takes their place in the line. They wait for those further ahead to pick up their passenger and move out. In some ways, it resembles a conveyor belt.
The process repeats itself countless times during the night. While the drivers wait during downtime, some pop out of their cabs for a quick smoke. Others catch up on their reading. More take a nap. They do various things to break the monotony or kill time.
And the passengers? They come from all walks of life. There are office workers who just finished doing overtime. Others are part-time workers, people out for a night, and students. Anyone can use a taxi.
Go to Kabukicho, and you’ll see many hosts, hostesses, and hospitality workers take one to get home. Not everyone wants to take a train or a bus home at night, especially after a long working day. Imagine living in Saitama Prefecture and having an hour or more commute. That’s exhausting. Many people want to go home in some comfort.
What would happen if the taxis disappeared? The Tokyo nightscape would change completely. Shinjuku might even disappear. Of course, that would never happen, but it would change. The streets would become traffic-free. And if that happened, then we might as well be in a different galaxy.
That will never happen. Nobody buys cars these days. And all the last trains leave the station around midnight. If there were no taxis, who would move the population?
Could you imagine that happening? Neither could I. At least not in our lifetimes. The taxis will be here forever. They’ll still be here long after the last human is gone.
When I walk around the station at night, on the road, all I see are taxis. Yes, there are a few private vehicles, motorbikes, and buses, but they seem to be in the minority. Taxis rule the night. Shinjuku is the city of taxis.
Shinjuku is a City of Taxis photo gear:
- Camera Body: Fujifilm X-T2
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR

Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
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