The largest of the three Lumine malls at Shinjuku, Lumine Est has 10 floors including two basements and nearly 300 shops, with a focus on women’s fashion, accessories, shoes and dining options. There’s always something new here as roughly 30 shops open and close each year; Lumine Est is a good place to get a feel for what young people in Japan are wearing and buying.
Lumine Est is the largest of the three Lumine malls at Shinjuku
The Lumine Est shopping mall is directly connected to the east side of JR Shinjuku Station and forms part of the façade of the station itself. It can be accessed via connecting passageways leading toward the Marunouchi, Oedo and Fukutoshin subway lines as well as the JR Shinjuku Station Central East Exit.
You’ll find tax refund counters on floors B1 and 6 of Lumine Est.
Beams
One of the biggest shops in Lumine Est is Beams, located on B1 floor, the first basement. The clothing retailer has long been a major player in Omotesando, one of Tokyo’s fashion meccas, and has over 100 outlets across Japan. Specializing in American-inspired basic styles, Beams describes its role as combining them “with ivy, rock, surf and skate styles for a modern interpretation that reflects various trends from around the globe.” Beams offers a selection of imported brands such as Canada Goose as well as clothing made under its own labels. The outlet here has menswear and womenswear sections.
Fashion powerhouse Beams mixes up styles from around the world
Beams at Lumine Est Shinjuku
Hysteric Glamour
How can you go wrong with a name like Hysteric Glamour? Located next to Beams on the second basement of Lumine Est, this cheeky streetwear brand founded in 1984 carries everything from purple satin souvenir jackets for men to thick wooly knit caps for women and KISS t-shirts for kids.
Streetwear label Hysteric Glamour often references 1960s pop culture
Hysteric Glamour at Lumine Est Shinjuku Station
Plaza
On the fourth floor, you’ll find an outlet of Plaza, a popular “zakka” or miscellaneous goods chain that was founded by Sony in 1966. Plaza has everything from candy to cosmetics, bath towels, mugs and cartoon character merchandise. Many of the goods here are imported but you can find quirky Japan-only products such as unusual flavors of M&Ms.
Household goods chain Plaza centers on quirky, cute merchandise
Dining at Lumine EST Shuinjuku Station
As the name “7&8 Dinner” suggests, the seventh and eighth floors of Lumine Est are for dining, but they stand out with their unique interior décor, with plush red sofas and raw wooden clapboard walls.
The eighth-floor dining area at Lumine Est features plush red sofas for relaxing
There are also a few unusual restaurants such as Komeraku, which specializes in ochazuke, a simple Japanese dish of green tea or hot water poured over a bowl of rice. Other dining options range from Hawaiian burgers at Mokuola, beef tongue at Gyutan Sumiyaki Rikyu and soup and bread at the aptly named Eat More Soup & Bread.
Komeraku on Lumine Est’s seventh floor serves up ochazuke rice-tea bowls. The sample at right includes egg and tuna toppings
The selection of fare is rounded out by udon noodles, oysters and gumbo as well as pizza, curry and shabushabu (boiled sliced beef dipped in sauces). There are also cafes and sweets shops including ice cream parlor Cold Stone Creamery and pancake specialist Slappy Cakes.
Article by Tim Hornyak. All rights reserved.
