History of Shinjuku
The area gained in popularity in the Edo period in 1634.
This is when the outer moat of the Edo Castle was built.
A number of shrines and temples moved to the area and in 1698, one of the major highways of the era was built nearby.
A mansion once stood in the place where the Shinjuku Gyoen is now located. Shinjuku began its current form after the Great earthquake in 1923, as the seismically stable area largely escaped devastation. This is why so many skyscrapers exist in this area.