Shibuya, Tokyo

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There's one famous story about Shibuya,it's about a dog name Hachiko.Hachiko routine was to send his master ( a professer in university)to work and waiting for his master to come back home from work everyday near Shibaya station.This daily life continue everyday until one day in May 1925.His master didn't return home.He died of cerebral hemorrhage at university that day.Poor Hachiko hept going to wait for his master everyday for 9 years until he died.There is a statue of Hachiko adjacent to the station,it become a celebrity for his loyalty.That area become a famous meeting point for many people.There are kind of bench to sit down around the area.
"How will we meet?" ... "At Hachiko statue"

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This crossing is very famous for tourist.It's something like "must do activity" to come to see it or join the crossing to and fro.I did it all, quite enjoying : ) Shibuya is a shopping district like any other famous shopping area in japan that surrounds train or subway station.Shibuya is well known for fashion area for youngster.Why this crossing is so special? I guess it may be because there are always many people crossing the 4 sides streets at once and it really look special.I was there before rush hours and I don't know where poeple come from,but there were really many people crossing all the time ,and in rush hours it must be really crowded,and make it more interesting to watch.I watched it from the second floor of station building ,it's easy to find.

Ok, Shibuya is what one sees when someone thinks of Tokyo .... crowded, with all the lights, all the stores, all the people...This is a cool setting ... well worth a trip here to experience !!!! Highly recommended !!!! Tons of bars and tons of restaurants surround the crossing area ... Shibuya crossing is the most busiest intersection on earth !!!!

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just strolling around the Shibuya Area you will see lots of sights and sounds and activities and don't forget shopping! Vibrant, lively, fun, faddish, crowded, cramped, and busy, and the streetwise love it! Shibuya is another shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo. Shibuya has achieved great popularity among young people in the last 30 years. There are several famous fashion department stores in Shibuya. The contemporary fashion scene in Shibuya extends northward from Shibuya Station to Harajuku, where youth culture reigns; Omotesandô, the zelkova tree- and fashion brand-lined street; and Sendagaya, Tokyo's apparel design district. It's newer than its rival Shinjuku and has a cleaner, safer reputation. Alongside its huge department stores it's also famous for the studios of NHK, the Olympic gymnasium, "Love Hotel Hill" and "Hachiko" the world famous statue of a loyal akita dog.

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the world's most busy crossing according to Wikipedia. Well when I was here in 1985, i did not get the chance to see this famous crossing although I was billeted nearby at Shinjuku Area so that at present I would not miss the chance to go here hehehe. Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world. Shibuya Station is the third busiest station in Tokyo and the Hachiko exit leads to the main Shibuya shopping area which is full of department stores and fashion boutiques. Again, Shibuya Crossing, also referred to as Shibuya Scramble Crossing is the pedestrian crossing outside the Hachiko exit of Shibuya Station. It is referred to as a scramble crossing as the traffic is stopped in all directions, thus allowing pedestrians to walk in all directions through the intersection. Crossing such as Shibuya Crossing are also know as diagonal crossing or exclusive pedestrian crossings. Shibuya Crossing is also nearby to hachiko statue that you can see many kawaii japanese girls and just to girl watching here.

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Shibuya Station first opened on March 1, 1885 as a stop on the Shinagawa Line, a predecessor of the present-day Yamanote Line. They say that Shibuya Station is the third-busiest commuter rail station in Tokyo (after Shinjuku and Tokyo), handling a large amount of commuter traffic between the center city and suburbs to the south and west. There are six exits from the main JR/Tôkyû/Tôkyô Metro complex. The famous Hachikô Exit (Hachikô-guchi) on the west side, named for the nearby statue of the dog Hachikô (see my separate Hachiko Tips) and adjacent to Shibuya's famous scramble crossing (see my separate shibuya crossing tips), is a particularly popular meeting spot. The Tamagawa Exit, (Tamagawa-guchi) on the west side leads to the Keiô Inokashira Line station. The Main Shibuya JR Station building is occupied by a Huge Tokyu department store. The Tokyo Metro Subway Ginza Line, originally built and operated by a Tokyu keiretsu company, uses platforms on the third floor. Shibuya Station provides access to the main sited of Shibuya area so A Photo stop here is also excellent.

Tsukijii Market is a fun place to visit, albeit early in the morning. It is a very fast pace busy market, but fun. And if you ahve access to a kitchen, the cheapest place to buy good fresh seafood of all kinds, most of it live.

Ginza, not sure what time tehy open up but it is basically a high priced area of deaprtment stores and shops. Worth a visit if you have the money or just curious as to the goods in this area. Another great weekend place is Shinjuku and Shabuyahu, both are very busy on the weekends with throngs of people and Shibuya has a flea market on the weekend that is fun.

Have fun!

The great thing about Tokyo is no matter where you go you can do a bit of shopping without that being ALL you do because there are shops and department stores evrywhere....having said that Shibuya is REALLY good for shopping. Tokyo has such cool fashion, sure some of it's a bit out there but there's something for everyone. But if you love funky, different clothes, cool jewelry and AWESOME sneakers and hi tops then you will be in paradise in Shibuya (and Harajuku too but that's another story :)) Quite reasonable prices too.

The people in the shops always walk around saying things seemingly to no one but they are apparently saying things like please look around etc etc. Trying on clothes is a bit annoying in Tokyo as you have to take yoour shoes off in most of the small shops (and always put on a head scarf which is not annoying but a MUST if they have a little box of them on the floor). Also in many places you can't try on t shirts.