Tokyo/Shibuya'''Shibuya''' (??) is a shopping and eating district popular with a lot of young Tokyoites. It's within walking distance from two other large shopping districts - Tokyo/Omotesando|Omotesando and Tokyo/Harajuku|Harajuku - as well as being quite close to Yoyogi Park and the Meiji Jingu shrine. Shibuya deserves a prize as the district with more two-storey televisions than any other area in the world. Image:Shibuya-crossing.jpg|thumb|240px|Shibuya, looking across the "scramble crossing" and straight into Center-gai ==Understand== Most of the action in Shibuya is in the hectic blocks to the northwest of the JR station. The best place to get oriented is the '''Hachiko''' (???) exit, which opens onto the five-way "scramble crossing" under the giant video screen. From left to right at the edges of the square are... # Keio Inokashira line station # '''Dogenzaka''' (???) slope # 109 building # '''Bunkamura-dori''' (?????) street # '''Center-gai''' (????? ''Sentaa-gai'') street # Q-FRONT building featuring a large Starbucks and the monstrous video screen # '''Koen-dori''' (????) street ## '''Inokashira-dori''' (?????), branching to the left after the Seibu Department Store # 109-2 building # JR line tracks to Tokyo/Harajuku|Harajuku. The area to the south of the station is bounded by a highway, so there's not much more than bus terminals (on both sides) and the Tokyu Plaza department store. The two major roads heading east from the station continue to Tokyo/Aoyama|Aoyama and Tokyo/Roppongi|Roppongi. ==Get In== ===By train=== Shibuya's station is a notoriously convoluted web of passageways. Follow the signage and you should find your way out (or in). * '''JR''' Yamanote, Saikyo Line * '''Tokyu''' Toyoko, Den-en-toshi Line * '''Keio''' Inokashira Line * '''Tokyo Metro''' Ginza Line (G01), Hanzomon Line (Z01) The Tokyu Toyoko line is the cheapest and most convenient way to visit Yokohama. ==See== * '''Hachiko''' (???). A famous statue of a dog who famously came to the station every day to wait for his master — for years after his heart attack and passing away. It is also the name of one of the many exits from Shibuya Station and the prime meeting place before a night out. Just hanging out near Hachiko for a while will give you some great people-watching opportunities. * '''Center Gai''' (????? ''Sentaa-gai''). The narrow street leading away from the station to the left of the giant video screen, it's famous as the birthplace of many of Japan's youth fashion trends. Center Gai is jam-packed with clothing stores, music stores, and video game arcades. This is a great place to stroll and feel the Shibuya vibe. * '''Bunkamura'''. Bunkamura-dori. A complex featuring has an excellent art museum, in addition to theaters for film and stage plays. On the basement floor there's art and design bookstore as well as a branch of Paris' famous '''Les Deux Magots''' café. ===Museums=== Shibuya has a small collection of famously offbeat museums. * '''Tobacco and Salt Museum''' (????????? ''Tabako to Shio no Hakubutsukan''). Jinnan 1-1 6-8 (''on Koen-dori''), [http://www.jti.co.jp/Culture/museum/Welcome.html]. This peculiar institution owes its existence to Japan's peculiar government monopoly on these two substances. The website advises that "dangerous substances are not permitted within the museum". *'''TEPCO Electric Energy Museum''' (??? ''Denryokukan''). Jinnan 1-12-10. A giant multi-story propaganda exercise courtesy of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), primarily devoted to extolling the virtues of nuclear energy. Well done if often more than slightly cheesy exhibits, many of them hands-on, and a great place for kids. Free admission, open from 10 AM to 6 PM daily except Wednesday. ==Do== There are movie theaters and electronics stores nearby. ==Buy== Image:Shibuya_Shop_Hysterics.JPG|thumb|240px|Hysterical shopping frenzy Shibuya has lots and lots of interesting shopping opportunities. It's the home of the huge '''Tokyu''' conglomerate (railways, department stores, hotels, housing developments), and thus practically every major store in the area has Tokyu in its name. ===Cartoons=== * '''Mandarake'''. BEAM B2F, Udagawa 31-2, [http://www.mandarake.co.jp/shop/index_sby.shtml]. Massive shop devoted to mange, anime, figurines and collectible offshoots, with staff all dressed up as cartoon characters. Worth a visit for the sheer bizarre spectacle. * '''NHK Studio Park'''. Jinnan 2-2-1 (''end of Koen-dori''), [http://www.nhk.or.jp/studiopark/]. Studio sightseeing operation run by Japan's state broadcaster NHK, home to a gift shop selling the widest collection of Domo-kun figures on the planet. ===Fashion=== Shibuya is the center of Japanese youth culture and it shows. * '''0101''' (''Marui''). [http://www.0101.co.jp/] * '''109 Building''' (''Tokyu''). [http://www.shibuya109.jp/] ===Music=== Shibuya has copious music shopping opportunities, but expect some sticker shock as Japanese CDs often clock in at ¥3000+; imports are usually cheaper! In addition to the superstores below, also check out the miniature '''alternative ghetto''' (Jinnan 11 and nearby, just past Tokyu Hands), full of tiny specialist record shops. * '''Disk Union'''. Antenna 21, Udagawa 30-7 (''Center-gai''), [http://diskunion.net/st/shop/shibuya_club.html]. Used and new record dealer with floors each specializing in punk, rock, jazz and dance music. * '''HMV'''. Udagawa 24-1 (''off Inogashira-dori''), [http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/newsDetail.asp?newsnum=301180026]. Six floors of music from all around the world. * '''RECOfan'''. BEAM 4F, Udagawa 31-2, [http://www.recofan.co.jp/map/beam.html] (''and other outlets incl. one on Center-gai''). Good shopping for second-hand music in this cavernous hall: all records are categorized and alphabetized for quick browsing, and prices start at ¥100. * '''Tower Records'''. Jinnan 1-22-14 (''Koen-dori''), [http://www.towerrecords.co.jp/html/tower/company/store/store03.html]. For a while the largest record store in the world, now merely mind-bogglingly huge. Good selection of English books and magazines on the top floor. ===Other=== * '''Book 1st'''. (''Bunkamura-dori''), [http://www.book1st.net/]. One of Tokyo's largest bookstores. Carries a good range of foreign language magazines, add to a huge array of venues to eat and drink. * '''Tokyu Hands'''. (''end of Center-gai''), [http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/shibuya.htm]. A department store specializing in all sorts of home decorations and D.I.Y. gear (with a heavy emphasis on the ''all sorts'', this place is much more interesting than it sounds!). ==Eat== You can't turn around without spotting a handful of restaurants here-- from 100 yen noodles to top notch gourmet food. * '''Midori Sushi''', 03-5459-0002, in the Shibuya Mark City building is a good balance between quality and price. You may have to wait in line unless you go just before meal times. The take-out is excellent if you are too hungry or impatient. * '''Kujiraya''' [http://www.kujiraya.co.jp], Dogenzaka 2-29-22 (''Bunkamura-dori, just past 109''), 03-3461-9145. The specialty here is whale meat dishes. Don't forget to pick up a pro-whaling propaganda pamphlet on your way out. * '''Kyotako''' (right next to Tokyu Hands) is a famous store for ''takoyaki'' octopus balls. * '''Murghi''', Dogenzaka 2-19-2, 03-3461-8809, closed Fridays and Thurs. eve. Founded in 1951, when the owner decided to serve the kind of curry he had enjoyed in Burma before World War II. * '''Tokyu Department Store''' (right on top of the train station) has a superb food section in the basement with enough free samples to make a full lunch, if you don't mind not having a place to sit. ==Drink== Shibuya is a major center for nightclubs, music, and dancing. * Magically shielded from decades of commercial development, '''Nonbei-yokocho''' (??????) is a narrow alley running alongside the east side of the Yamanote tracks just north of the station. It's packed with traditional ''yakitori'' taverns as well as some modern, ''extremely tiny'' bars. The district was formed in 1955, and a few of the shops have been operating since then. ===Izakaya=== There are plenty of cheap and cheerful chain '''izakayas''' (Japanese pubs) scattered about Shibuya. Look for for the '''Watami''' and '''Uotami''' chains. * '''Tengu''' 25-3 Udagawa-cho (''B1; in an alley between Center-gai and Inokashira-dori'') Open 5:00 PM to midnight. Tengu is a part of a popular izakaya chain, which stands out from the rest mainly because they have an English menu. * '''Hatago''' 2-28-5 Dogenzaka (''B1; along Dogenzaka street, about 200m beyond the 109 Building''). This is a stylish and somewhat upscale izakaya that accommodates foreign customers with a handwritten English menu. Try the baked miso eggplant, ¥650. Draft beer ¥630, table charge ¥250; expect to pay around ¥3000 per person for a reasonable meal including drinks. ===Nightclubs=== * '''Womb'''[http://www.womb.co.jp/english/index.html] in Dogenzaka is one of Tokyo's newest, hottest and largest clubs, designed by the people behind New York (city)|New York's Twilo. Entrance is fairly steep at ¥3500 with 2 drinks. * '''Club Pure''' [http://www.clubpure.com/] on Senta-Gai is a tiny little club usually offering ¥2500 nomihoudai (all you can drink) on the weekends. Popular with foreigners and with "Gaijin Hunters." * '''Club Harlem''' [http://www.harlem.co.jp/harlem/en/harlem_info/index.html] is large 2 floor all hip-hop club located in Shibuya. Few foreign patrons. * '''Club Asia''' [http://www.clubasia.co.jp/], situated in between dozens of love hotels is popular for trance music all night long. This club isn't very popular with foreign patrons. * '''Gas Panic''' ==Sleep== * '''Tokyu Excel''' Hotel is a popular high-end hotel in the Mark City building. * '''Tokyu Stay Shibuya''' 8-14 Shinsen-cho. 03-3477-1091, fax 03-3477-1092. [http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/hotel/SIB/index.html] Singles start at ¥9450, doubles at ¥17,850 per night. Slight discounts are offered for extended stays. Part of the Tokyu Stay chain, this hotel is popular with business travelers. Small kitchenettes, washer/dryers, and free LAN access in all rooms makes these a good value. * '''Tokyu Stay Shibuya Shin-Minamiguchi''' 3-26-21 Shibuya. 03-5466-0109, fax 03-5466-1091. [http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/hotel/SIM/index.html] This is another outlet of the same chain. * The hillside to the left of Dogenzaka is also known as '''Love Hotel Hill''' and indeed contains dozens of Tokyo#Sleep | love hotels. ==Get out== * Tokyo/Ebisu|Ebisu, the next stop south on the JR Yamanote Line, is a quieter and more sophisticated version of the Shibuya scene. * Tokyo/Shimokitazawa|Shimokitazawa, just two stops down the Keio Inokashira line, offers trendy shops, restaurants and watering holes in a slightly less frenetic atmosphere. * Tokyo/Kichijoji|Kichijoji, at the other end of the Inokashira Line, has more of the same plus a park famed for its cherry blossoms. ==External links== * [http://www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/eng/index.html Shibuya City] * [http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/infomation/2area/map/08map_sibuya.html Map of Shibuya] (Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau] WikiPedia:Shibuya, Tokyo First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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