The incredible atmosphere and the lively nightlife mean that, without forgetting Shinjuku, Shibuya is our favorite area of Tokyo.

History

Shibuya (渋 谷 区 Shibuya-ku) is a suburb of Tokyo (Japan). It is located on the Yamanote circular train line in western Tokyo, a little south of Shinjuku.

The district was founded on March 15, 1947. According to data from 2008, the district has a population of 208,371 inhabitants and a density of 13,540 people per km². The total area is 15.11 km².

Mainly a commercial and entertainment district, Shibuya has achieved great popularity among young people over the past 30 years. In Shibuya there are several fashionable shopping centers; the most famous of them is the one called "Shibuya 109" (ichimarukyū). This shopping center is very popular with young people, especially teenagers, and is famous for being the origin of the Kogal subculture. The fashion landscape extends north towards Harajuku and Shibuya increasingly marks fashion patterns for all of Asia.

Shibuya is also famous for the junction in front of the station, called Scramble Kousaten, (ス ク ラ ン ブ ル 交 差点) which is said to be the most crowded in the world and uses a stop in all four directions to allow pedestrians to flood all the crossing. Three large television screens are located in the buildings in front of the intersection. The square in front of the station is known as Plaza Hachikō (ハ チ 公), in honor of a faithful dog who waited in this square for his master for years after his death and which is commemorated with a statue in the square; said statue is the most popular waiting point in Tokyo when several people have a date.

The statue of Hachiko

Leaving the Shibuya station by the exit called "Hachiko" you will arrive at the square where the Hachiko dog statue is located.

The statue was erected in the presence of Hachiko in 1934 to commemorate his fidelity. Hachiko was a dog that, since the death of his master in 1925 and for 10 years, continued to go to the station every evening to await the return of his master from the university as he did during his life.

Hachiko's body is exposed dissected in the National Science Museum.

Shibuya 109

The building, located in front of the Shibuya Station, opened in April 1979. The architect was Minoru Takeyama. Tokyu, the building's operator, designed it to be a "fashion community," with small clothing businesses aimed at women under 30. Tokyu's idea was to compete with the Seibu department store, which was just beginning to venture into the Shibuya area.

The name of the building, 109, is a pun in Japanese, taken from the characters that make up the number 109: tō (which means 10) and kyū (9) forming Tokyu. The design of the interior of the building was made thinking that the buyers were given continuous turns inside it, between floor and floor through elevators, going through several businesses. In the original plans it was contemplated to build a cinema on the top floor, but the fire department did not allow it, because the evacuation routes did not meet safety standards. Although it was chosen for women of 30 years, later the building became more known as the mecca of the teenagers of the gyaru subculture. In this center, much of Japan's youth fashion is dictated

The crossing of Shibuya

If there is an image known to most people interested in Japan that is the Shibuya crossing, correctly called Hachiko crossing.

The intersection of Shibuya consists of five synchronized pedestrian crossings, which means that each time the traffic lights are opened a human tide invades the asphalt turning the place into the busiest intersection in the world.

One of the best places to see the street show is from the large window of the Starbucks that is in the main building of the crossing.