SHINJUKU FOOD GUIDE
A unique food experience in Shinjuku and Kabukicho: rotating wanko soba
For a unique, traditional Japanese food experience in Shinjuku, try wanko soba at Kurukuru Wanko in Kabukicho — Japan's first rotating (kaiten) wanko soba restaurant.
Wanko soba is a way of eating soba from Iwate Prefecture: one mouthful per small bowl, eaten one bowl after another. Here the bowls come to you on a revolving lane, and you take as many as you can in 40 minutes for ¥3,800 (tax included, walk-in).
It is a standing counter with 12 spots, a 1-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station and a 4-minute walk from the east exit of JR Shinjuku Station, open every day 11:00–18:30 (last entry).
Updated: Published: Kurukuru Wanko
What makes it a unique food experience
- Japan's first rotating wanko soba: the traditional Iwate way of eating soba, served on a revolving lane.
- One mouthful per bowl, so eating becomes a game: take a bowl, slurp, stack the empty bowl, and reach for the next.
- The all-time record is 925 bowls. Your stack of empty bowls is your score. Big counts are rewarded: an original patch at 100 bowls, a gold patch at 200 and a gold medal at 300. Monthly champions (the top man and the top woman each month) receive ¥10,000 each.
- A standing counter with 12 spots — you eat standing, right in front of the lane.
- It is traditional food: wanko soba is said to be one of Japan's three great soba traditions and comes from Iwate's culture of hospitality.
Traditional Japanese food in Kabukicho
Kabukicho is best known for its nightlife, but Kurukuru Wanko serves a traditional regional dish from Iwate in northern Japan during the day: 11:00 to 18:30 (last entry), every day.
The meal is simple: buckwheat soba, broth and condiments such as spring onion, wasabi and tempura crumbs. Change the combination and the same soba tastes different from bowl to bowl.
At a glance
- What
- Rotating wanko soba (Japan's first)
- Price
- ¥3,800 per person, 40 minutes all you can eat (tax included, walk-in)
- Counter
- Standing counter, 12 spots (no seats)
- Hours
- 11:00–18:30 (last entry), closing at 19:30, open every day
- Language
- English-speaking staff every day; Chinese and Korean menus
- Booking
- No phone or in-person reservations (walk-ins in order of arrival, ¥3,800 at the door). You can book online on Asoview, Activity Japan or Klook (timed entry, ¥4,700).
Good to know before you go
- No age restriction. Children who have not yet started elementary school eat free when sharing a seat with a parent or guardian, limited to one child per adult. Additional children, or a child using a separate seat, are charged for one seat. Elementary school children and older pay the regular adult price (¥3,800 per person).
- Drinks are extra. Aprons are free to borrow, so you can come empty-handed.
- Contains buckwheat and wheat flour — not suitable for a buckwheat allergy.
- Our regular broth uses bonito (fish) stock; a vegetarian and vegan broth is also available. Just ask our staff.
- Google rating 4.8 from 2,700+ reviews (as of November 2026).
- Halal-friendly (halal-aware staff always on site) and wheelchair accessible.
Access
- Address
- 5F J-Gold Bldg, 1-22-9 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0021
- Stations
- 1 min walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station (main exit); 4 min walk from JR Shinjuku Station (east exit)
- Hours
- 11:00–18:30 (last entry), closes 19:30, open every day
- Phone
- +81-3-6265-9881
- Landmark
- 1 min walk from the Godzilla Head (Shinjuku Toho Building)
Online booking sites
Book a time on one of these online booking sites (¥4,700).
FAQ
- What is a unique food experience in Shinjuku?
- Rotating wanko soba at Kurukuru Wanko in Kabukicho — Japan's first. One-mouthful bowls of soba come to you on a revolving lane and you eat as many as you can in 40 minutes, for ¥3,800.
- Where can I try traditional Japanese food in Kabukicho?
- Kurukuru Wanko serves wanko soba, a traditional way of eating soba from Iwate, at 5F J-Gold Bldg, 1-22-9 Kabukicho — a 1-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station.
- Are there seats?
- No. It is a standing counter with 12 spots and no seats.
- Can I book in advance?
- We don't take reservations by phone or in person; walk-in guests are served in order of arrival. You can book online via Asoview, Activity Japan and Klook (¥4,700 for a set time; ¥3,800 at the door).
- What do you get for eating a lot?
- The all-time record is 925 bowls. 100 bowls earns an original patch, 200 bowls a gold patch and 300 bowls a gold medal. Monthly champions (the top man and the top woman each month) receive ¥10,000 each.
- Is it suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
- Yes. Our regular broth uses bonito (fish) stock; a vegetarian and vegan broth is also available. Just ask our staff.
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More guides
- Unique things to do in ShinjukuFor a uniquely Japanese experience in Shinjuku, try wanko soba, the endless-bowl soba tradition from Iwate, at Kurukuru Wanko in Kabukicho, where one-mouthful bowls of soba come to you on a revolving lane.
- What is wanko soba?Wanko soba is a way of eating soba from Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan: small bowls, each holding a single mouthful of noodles, are served one after another, and you eat as many as you can.
- Halal-friendly food experience in ShinjukuKurukuru Wanko, a conveyor-belt wanko soba restaurant in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, is halal-friendly: halal-aware staff are on site at all times, and our ingredients have been checked.
- Things to do in Shinjuku on a rainy dayOn a rainy day in Shinjuku, Kurukuru Wanko in Kabukicho is an easy indoor plan: it is on the 5th floor of a building a 1-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station (4 minutes from the east exit of JR Shinjuku Station).
- All-you-can-eat in Tokyo for ¥3,800Kurukuru Wanko in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a 40-minute all-you-can-eat for ¥3,800 per person (tax included, walk-in): Japan's first rotating wanko soba, where one-mouthful bowls of soba come to you on a revolving lane.
- Unique food experiences in TokyoFor a unique food experience in Tokyo, pick by what you want to do: cook monjayaki yourself on a griddle in Tsukishima, walk the stalls of Tsukiji Outer Market, make a replica food sample in Kappabashi, eat yakitori in the post-war alleys of Omoide Yokocho, or try a game-like regional dish such as wanko soba.
- Traditional Japanese food in Shinjuku & KabukichoIn Shinjuku you can try traditional Japanese food in several styles: yakitori and grilled offal in the post-war alleys of Omoide Yokocho, quick standing soba counters, department-store food halls (depachika), the Kabuki Yokocho food hall in Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, and wanko soba, a regional soba tradition from Iwate.
- All-you-can-eat lunch in Tokyo: how to chooseAll-you-can-eat (tabehodai) in Tokyo comes in many types: yakiniku and shabu-shabu where you cook at the table, sushi, hotel lunch buffets, dessert buffets, and wanko soba. Most have a time limit, and drinks are often charged separately, so check the time, what is included and whether you need to book.
- Food experiences in Tokyo for families with kidsFamilies with children in Tokyo often enjoy food experiences where kids can do something themselves: cooking monjayaki on a griddle in Tsukishima, making a replica food sample at a workshop in Kappabashi, picking plates at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, or taking bowls from a revolving lane at a wanko soba restaurant.
- Wanko soba historyWanko soba is a traditional way of eating soba from Iwate Prefecture: one mouthful of noodles in a small bowl, eaten one bowl after another. Hanamaki is known as its birthplace, and it is said to have begun about 400 years ago, in the early Edo period.
- Japanese food culture experiences in TokyoWashoku, the traditional food culture of Japan, was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013. In Tokyo you can experience it through sushi making, tea ceremony and wagashi, markets, kaiseki and regional dishes.
- How many bowls of wanko soba?Across 5,019 recorded 40-minute challenges at Kurukuru Wanko (May to October 2026), the average was 125 bowls and the median was 117.
- Kurukuru Wanko home