Shibuya

Shibuya, Tokyo's Youth Center

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The famous intersection in Shibuya is the busiest in the world. Everyday, about 500,000 people cross this intersection. Besides shopping and the cuisine, you can also enjoy the unique atmosphere of the neighborhood.
Address
Shibuya Station, Shibuya, Tokyo

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About

The appeal of Shibuya

Out of all of the areas in Tokyo, Shibuya is the city center with the largest number of young people. A trendy area, it is filled with many stores and cafes. Once you leave Shibuya Station and walk straight across the main crossing, you will hit the main shopping street in Shibuya. Once known as ‘Shibuya Centre Street’, it is a place where you can find anything from amusement centers to fast food chains to large-scale CD shops. From 2011 onwards however, there was a name change of the street to ‘Basketball Street’ to erase the bad reputation that Shibuya had begun to develop as a dangerous area.

Hikarie: Shibuya’s New Landmark

Shibuya’s evolution as a commercial center continues to progress, and Shibuya Station as a major transfer hub is undergoing further development towards 2027 as part of this evolution. One new commercial facility that opened in 2012 is Hikarie of which 70% of the 200-plus stores there have started for the first time in Shibuya. There is a restaurant floor which is the largest in the area, a theater for musicals, and an art space. If you would like to chime in on the latest trends in of Japan, you should certainly stop by Hikarie.

Shibuya Scramble

The bronze statue of Hachiko the dog whose story was filmed even in the USA, is one of the most popular meeting spots for young people in Tokyo. A lot of attention has recently been given to the scramble crossing directly in front of Shibuya Station, and it’s hard to miss as soon as you step out of the station. Many tourists often film or take photos of the crossing from the cafes and restaurants dotted around the Shibuya Scramble.

From Shibuya to Harajuku and Omotesando

Both Harajuku and Omotesando, two neighborhoods that are also particularly popular with youth in Tokyo, are extremely accessible from Shibuya, and you can get a glimpse of the young people of Japan. In the internationally popular Harajuku, you will find scores of young people dressed in cosplay. In recent years during Halloween, Shibuya has also become jam-packed with people dressed in cosplay costumes.

Shibuya also has free Wi-Fi that is generally accessible throughout the area. Furthermore, Shibuya has a great deal of signs and information centers geared towards foreign tourists in English.

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Access

From Shibuya Station, take the Hachiko Exit to enter the heart of Shibuya, directly outside Shibuya Scramble.

From Shinjuku Station to Shibuya Station:
Take the Yamanote Line direct to Shibuya Station (11 minutes, ¥160)

From Tokyo Station to Shibuya Station:
Take the Yamanote Line direct to Shibuya Station (24 minutes, ¥200)

Plan your trip to tokyo

Chat with a local tour guide who can help organize your trip.

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Reviews

6 years ago
Exciting and lively
You basically can do pretty much everything in Shibuya. Shop, eat, karaoke, bar, and walking around Shibuya with no purpose can be interesting. So many people.
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7 years ago
Shopping and Cafe
Shibuya is the shopping area. There are many shopping stores like Shibuya 109, ZARA, H&M and etc... You can enjoy cafes also. First, I always go shopping and when I feel like tired, I go to cafe. Shibuya is a really popular place, so weekdays are better.
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7 years ago
Glam, Glam, Glam!
Shibuya district brings you the latest Tokyo fashion trend. Join the busiest Shibuya crossing, feel the crowds yourself and try not to bump on people! During the night, it is the neon forest of Tokyo. Come here and shop till you drop!
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7 years ago
Shibuya Fashion Town
When visiting Tokyo it is almost inevitable to not visit Shibuya. Shibuya is the ultimate shopping area (Center Gai and Shibuya 109) in Tokyo for young people. Here you can find many department stores, the latest fashion items and the really cool concept restaurants and cafes. Keep in mind that it's a very crowded and busy area, but there is lots to see. You can get a nice view from the busy Shibuya Crossing from the Starbucks cafe.
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7 years ago
Wow, feels like on timesquare
Impressive big and crowded. A must-see spot in tokyo for sure. Check the view from one of the nearby coffeeshops to see the ants cross the street!
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7 years ago
My favorite place on earth!!!!
Shibuya is just awesome!!! Whatever is that you are in the mood to do, you can do in Shibuya! karaoke, bar, cafe, shopping, meeting people, partying and the list goes on! Shibuya is easy to access and even tho very busy during weekends its always a great place to hang out either alone or with friends! ;)
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8 years ago
Shibuya rocks!!!!
Shibuya is a great place to visit in any ways! There is the famous crossroad in front of the station, which is really fun to walk through or for making some excellent pictures. And if you are getting bored of the crowds and want to take a rest, simply walk to the Yoyogi Park. I think it is the biggest park in Tokyo and also very beautiful. There are even some small lakes inside of it and it is one of the few parks in which you are allowed to walk on the green area- Perfect for a good picnic!
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8 years ago
Tokyo drift
Ok none of that happens here. Yes very sad indeed, but I will say if you're not a noob, then yes the crosswalk is extremely busy and fun to walk around. This place is always exciting. At night the place is as bright as ever, it really does feel like being in a movie with promotional videos playing on the giant monitors on the buildings. Bring sunglasses for when you come here at night, this place is hot and I am not talking about 109. For you ladies you have the most amazing shopping mall ever and for guys who like eye candy OMG, I damn near melt every time I go there everyone is a 10. There are many food places but nothing that really sparks my interest. There is shaky's pizza which is good if you like pizza but don't want to spend that crazy amount for Domino's, then go here for all you can eat during happy hour for 900yen. This is a pretty young crowd and with a lot of people there are many different fashion trends to steal from, everyone has their unique style that I like. Clubs are expensive, (some) places actually watch you and make sure you have a drink in your hands at all time or you gotta leave. But the night life here is where it's at. You can't come to Japan and not go to Shibuya.
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8 years ago
Like being lost in a movie
I really enjoy visiting Shibuya for two reasons. One is people watching. I will never get bored of crowds of people photographing a statue of a dog with excitement, or filming others as they cross the busiest road in the world. The second reason is at night when it is raining, as I wander through crowds of umbrellas reflecting in the neon lights of restaurants and bars, I feel like I have wandered into the 1982 movie, Blade Runner; and I really like the movie Blade Runner.
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