Shinjuku Trains & Omoide Yokocho

This is trainspotting, Tokyo style: a continuous parade of JR trains gliding past Omoide Yokocho, the tiny lantern-lit alley of yakitori bars that survived post-war Shinjuku. Shinjuku station just behind the live webcam is generally counted the busiest railway station in the world, serving well over three million passengers a day, and this view shows you the arteries that feed it.

Trains pass every few seconds at rush hour: the Yamanote line's green stripe, the orange Chuo rapid, limited expresses heading for the mountains. Rail fans can try to identify each series by livery; everyone else can let the rhythm do its hypnotic work. The pocket of low wooden buildings in front is Omoide Yokocho ("Memory Lane"), smoke rising from its grills from late afternoon.

Best hours: 7–9 am and 5–8 pm Japan time for maximum train frequency, or after dark when the alley's red lanterns glow against the passing carriages.