While the Gare du Nord in Paris handles about 700,000 people a day and London Liverpool Street sees around 300,000, there is one railway station that operates on an entirely different scale. Located in the heart of Japan's capital, Shinjuku Station sees over 3.5 million people per day, making it the world's busiest railway station.

That means over 1 billion passengers use it within a year. Rather than functioning as a simple transit point, it operates more like a sprawling underground and above-ground city connecting multiple rail operators, including JR East, Odakyu Electric Railway, Keio Corporation and the Tokyo Metro network.

With more than 200 exits and an intricate web of platforms, concourses and underground passages, the station is a vital artery in Tokyo's transport system.

It links commuters to business districts, shopping centres, residential suburbs and entertainment hubs across the metropolis.

A major redevelopment initiative, the Shinjuku Grand Terminal, is currently underway, with completion expected in the 2040s. The long-term plan covers the wider Shinjuku Station area and is designed to improve passenger flow, reduce congestion and make transfers between JR East, private railway lines, and subway networks more efficient.

The project also focuses on upgrading station entrances, exits, and pedestrian connections to better integrate the surrounding urban environment. As part of the redevelopment, a new 258-metre skyscraper is planned for the West Exit area, which is set to become the tallest building in the Shinjuku district, surpassing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

One visitor wrote in a Google Review about the station: "Shinjuku Station is a marvel of efficiency and scale! As the busiest train station in the world, it's incredible to see how seamlessly it manages millions of passengers each day.

"The station is massive, with multiple floors, countless exits, and an impressive range of shops, restaurants, and services, making it feel almost like a city within a city.

"Navigating can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the signage is helpful, and there are always staff available to point you in the right direction. It's the perfect hub to access different parts of Tokyo and beyond. Just be prepared for crowds and give yourself a little extra time to get your bearings. Overall, an essential Tokyo experience."

While some visitors say the signs and directions are very clear, making navigation relatively straightforward despite the station's size, others admit they've easily gotten lost in its vast, maze-like network of corridors and passageways.

One passenger wrote: "If the stars are for measuring how difficult it is to navigate a station, Shinjuku is definitely 5 stars."