Shibuya Station, located in Tokyo’s Shibuya-ku, is a terminal for a number of different rail lines: the JR Yamanote and Saikyo lines; the Tokyu Toyoko, Den’entoshi, and Keio Inokashira lines; and the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hanzomon lines. It is a prominent downtown area of Tokyo rivaling Ginza, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Asakusa. Shibuya is unique in that every street and area in the district has a completely different atmosphere. The Center Gai is Shibuya’s main pedestrian crossing. It is always busy and stops all vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrains to cross. It is crowded with a multitude of shops, including youth fashion shops, fast food restaurants, and game centers, and it is famous as the place where new trends are born that quickly spread among the youth nationwide. It is always crowded day and night, mostly with teenagers, and you can get a direct feel for today’s Japanese fashion trends there. There are several interesting landmarks in Shibuya, with each giving off a different vibe.

Koen-dori Street, which extends to Yoyogi-koen Park, is a shopping street with a row of department stores and fashionable buildings that attract families in particular. Shibuya Mark City, which opened in 2000, is the biggest shopping complex in Shibuya. Comprised of a large-scale hotel, business floors, and fifty-five shops, it sparked a rush of high-rise building construction in the area. The area is now known as “Bit Valley,” a play on words referring to Shibuya, which literally means “bitter valley” and the computer lingo “bit”, where venture enterprises that support the IT industry are concentrated. Thus, Shibuya is attracting eager eyes from all over the world, not only for fashions and shopping, but in the area of state-of-the-art industries as well.

Another famous landmark in Shibuya is Hachiko, which is the name of an Akita dog that was particularly famous for showing up at the Shibuya Station waiting for his friend and owner, even until after his owner’s death. This continued on for ten years, with Hachiko appearing every evening, exactly at the time when the train was due at the station. The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachiko attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and his master together each day. Realizing that Hachiko waited in vigil for his dead master, their hearts were touched. They brought Hachiko food to nourish him during his wait. On April 1934, a year before Hachiko’s death, a bronze likeness of Hachiko was unveiled at Shibuya station, with Hachiko himself present at the ceremony. It still stands there today, as Hachiko has never been forgotten. The Hachiko statue is always a favorite meeting place for friends and family, where numerous people sit everyday and wait for their loved ones.

Dogen-zaka is a famous street in Shibuya. It’s a central thoroughfare infamous for having a concentration of nightclubs and love hotels. Love hotels are “short-stay” hotels allowing couples a few hours of privacy. If you want to stay at a real hotel, why not stay in nearby Shibuya Excel Tokyu Hotel, Shibuya Tobu Hotel or in Sky Court Asagaya Hotel just a little walk away.

Perhaps Shibuya’s most known feature is that it is the hub for japanese fashion. Some say that most trends start in Shibuya. Just as Shibuya is known for fashion, it is also known for its many fashion and brand boutiques. One has to simply look left or right to find these stores. In

Shibuya, there are many of them but some areas stand out more than others; such as Takeshita street and Omote-sando in Harajuku, or the Shibuya109. The Shibuya109 is a famous landmark in Shibuya. It has been featured in fashion magazines and in television shows. The Shibuya109 is a shopping mall that caters to young people, especially women in their 20s. It first opened in the 70s and is now successful enough to warrant a twin, the Shibuya109-2. Takeshita street, on the other hand, is a shopping street that is pedestrian only. This street is lined with fashion boutiques, restaurants and cafes.  There are some brand name shops in Takeshita street but most are independent clothing boutiques that carry a wide range of styles. Meanwhile, Omote-sando is a direct contrast to Takeshita street as it is considered an upscale shopping area, featuring a wide range of brand name shops.

Shibuya displays a variety of cultures at every street, every establishment that you visit. I just named a few of them. Come and visit Shibuya and discover the rest for yourself.

Posted in Attractions, Japan

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