Shibuya

Few sights manage to sum up the state of present-day Tokyo as well as the scramble crossing outside Shibuya Station: that mad, overwhelming rush of people, neon, squawking TV screens and yet more people. It's the gateway to a neighbourhood that's helped define Japanese youth culture for nearly four decades now. Once a sleepier alternative to Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, Shibuya began to assume its present guise when the first Parco department store opened in 1973, followed by other landmarks like Tokyu Hands and 109 later in the decade. It hasn't looked back since: fashion-hungry teens and twenty-somethings can get their retail kicks at a vast range of shops, from H&M to cutting-edge boutiques like Fake Tokyo. For music fans, it's the gigging capital of Tokyo, home to iconic venues including Club Quattro, WWW and the Shibuya O empire, as well as nightclubs like Womb and Sound Museum Vision. And it's not just teens and 20-somethings who go there: the towering Hikarie complex, which opened in April 2012, caters to a more mature audience, with sophisticated shops, restaurants, galleries and a large-scale theatre.

Be sure to pick up a copy of our 101 things to do in Shibuya map while you're there, for an even more in-depth guide to the area.

Restaurants in Shibuya

Uobei

One day, all kaiten-zushi restaurants might be like this high-tech eatery. Forget conveyor belts: once customers place their orders via multi-language touch screen, the dishes are delivered by high-speed chute, with nary a hint of any human hand in the process.
2-29-1 Dogenzaka. Read more

Nagi Shokudo

Shibuya's best vegetarian restaurant is tricky to find, but worth seeking out. It's busiest at lunch, when diners pay ¥1,000 for a generous set of rice, miso, a drink and three dishes from the deli. A library of 'zines and consistently interesting BGM add to the charm.
15-10 Uguisudanicho. Read more

Sagatani

This 24-hour soba spot may be cheap, but it doesn’t compromise on quality: the noodles are made from 100 percent buckwheat flour, ground in-store using a traditional stone mortar. Choose between thick or thin noodles – with all-you-can-eat wakame seaweed – and start slurping.
2-25-7 Dogenzaka. Read more

W.P Gold Burger

Whoopi Gold Burger, Charlotte Gains-Burger, Kevin Bacon (burger): the names are pun-tastic at this unpretentious fast food joint, which moved to Shibuya from Nakameguro in 2011. Cheap gags wouldn't merit a repeat visit, but the generously stuffed burgers – with plump, juicy patties – definitely do.
1-9-4 Shibuya. Read more

Cafés & bars in Shibuya

Goodbeer Faucets

One of the boldest ventures in Tokyo's craft beer scene, this spacious, chrome-and-concrete bar occupies a prime slice of real estate opposite the Bunkamura. And with over 40 craft beers on draught, it boasts one of the largest selections in the capital.
2F, 1-29-1 Shoto. Read more

Fujiya Honten

There's never much risk of running up a big tab at this standing bar, a venerable boozer established over 130 years ago. Simply plonk down the amount of money you've budgeted for the night, and the staff will deduct from it as each order arrives.
B1F, 2-3 Sakuragaoka-cho. Read more

Fuglen

This ice-cool Norwegian import occupies a backstreet corner not far from Yoyogi Park, selling tea and some remarkably good coffee during the daytime. It switches to bar mode in the evenings, with craft beer and a menu of cocktails devised by champion bartender Halvor Digernes.
1-16-11 Tomigaya. Read more

Maidreamin

Putting a sci-fi spin on Tokyo’s maid café trend, Maidreamin looks more like a real-life videogame, with trampolines, interactive displays and coloured cubes hanging from the ceiling that change colour and emit sounds when the maids hit them.
B1F, 30-1 Udagawacho. Read more

Stand S

On a good night, this wood-decked standing bar – which bears a passing resemblance to a Swedish sauna – is one of the buzziest spots in Shibuya. The house speciality is mojito beer, made with added lime juice and fresh mint, which turns out to be rather better than it sounds.
37-16 Udagawacho. Read more

Shopping in Shibuya

109

Over 30 years after it first opened, this landmark Shibuya department store is still an essential destination for fashion-obsessed teenage girls who don’t just follow trends but start them. Take a stroll around to see them in action, and indulge in some amateur anthropology.
2-29-1 Dogenzaka. Read more

Tokyu Hands

When people say that Tokyu Hands sells everything, they’re exaggerating – but only a little. From stationery to toilet-seat covers, this is the largest household goods store in Tokyo, packed with knick-knacks for the home. The novelty goods section is also worth a peek.
12-18 Udagawacho. Read more

Hikarie

The newest and glitziest of Shibuya's department stores attracts a more mature crowd than 109, with classy fashion boutiques, high-end lifestyle retailers like The Conrad Shop and a wide range of restaurants. Most unusually, there's a 1,972-seat theatre on the 11th floor.
2-21 Shibuya. Read more

Tower Records

As the global population of record stores declines with rapid speed, Shibuya's Tower Records seems even more of a rarity. Already Japan’s largest record store, it was given an extensive overhaul in 2012 that actually increased its whopping 5,000 sqm of floor space, and added a café.
1-22-14 Jinnan. Read more

Hotels in Shibuya

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel

The Cerulean is Shibuya’s lone top-end hotel, and with rooms on the 19th to 37th floors of the area’s tallest building, it offers grandstand views (not least from many of the bathrooms). Room furnishings may be a step down from the likes of the Grand Hyatt, but so is the price.
26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho. Read more

Granbell Hotel

Just a few minutes' walk from Shibuya Station, the Granbell offers a stylish alternative to run-of-the-mill business hotels. The rooms were designed by the same company behind boutique hotel Claska, and the top floor suites are suitable for extended stays.
15-17 Sakuragaoka-cho. Read more

Excel Hotel Tokyu

Situated in the Mark City complex attached to the station, the Excel is very popular with domestic visitors wanting to spend their stay in the capital in the heart of Shibuya. Pleasant and clean, with spacious rooms and nice views, it’s one of few good-quality hotels in this part of town.
1-12-2 Dogenzaka. Read more

Nightlife in Shibuya

Womb

International DJs queue up for a chance to play there, and it's one of the few clubs in the capital that consistently draws a good crowd each weekend. Love it or hate it, you can't say you've really experienced Tokyo nightlife until you've partied at Womb.
2-16 Maruyamacho. Read more

WWW

This gig venue has kept the tiered floor and high ceilings from its previous incarnation as an arthouse cinema, making for one of Tokyo's most distinctive live spaces. The programming is eclectic, and the Funktion-One sound system packs a real punch.
B1F, 13-17 Udagawacho. Read more

Sound Museum Vision

Womb's main rival in the Shibuya superclub stakes, Sound Museum Vision opened in late 2011 and has since attracted many of the biggest names in the biz. The music ranges from techno to electro to hip hop, though with four rooms, you'll probably find something you like on any given night.
2-10-7 Dogenzaka. Read more

Attractions in Shibuya

Adidas Futsal Park

There’s no beating the location of this picturesque football pitch, sat atop the Tokyu Toyoko department store next to Shibuya Station. Adidas Futsal Park opened in 2001, in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup that Japan co-hosted the following year, and it's been doing a strong trade ever since.
2-24-1 Shibuya. Read more

D47 Museum

This 8th floor museum in the Hikarie building is all about spreading the love: each exhibition is devoted to showcasing a particular theme, as represented by all 47 of Japan's prefectures. The adjacent shop is also rather good for scoring souvenirs from places you'll never actually visit.
2-21-1 Shibuya. Read more

The Myth of Tomorrow

Lost for decades in Mexico, Taro Okamoto’s 30m-long mural was recovered and moved to Shibuya in 2008, where it makes a spectacular addition to the concourse inside Mark City. Compared to Picasso's Guernica, it depicts the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an eruption of vibrant colours.
1-12-1 Dogenzaka. Read more