Our last stop on our first day in Tokyo was Shibuya. A bustling part of the city, Shibuya is best known for its shopping and entertainment. It attracts almost 2.5 million visitors per day, about 2500 of which cross the intersection at Shibuya Crossing every time the light changes. In Harajuku, we found Takeshita Street’s narrow, tightly packed street overwhelming. Shibuya is Harajuku on steroids. More space just means more people.
Our first stop in Shibuya was Shibuya Sky, an observation deck on the 47th floor of Shibuya Scramble Square. Offering 360 degree views of Tokyo, it is a literal breathtaking experience. The city extends as far as the eye can see in every direction. We could see not only Shibuya Crossing directly below us but the places we had visited earlier in the day as well, most notably the massive green space surrounding Meiji Shrine. I thought this was a great place to visit on our first day in Tokyo because it gave us a sense of how truly massive the city is. (Read my full trip report for Shibuya Sky here.)
After gaining a greater appreciation of the vastness of Tokyo and the craziness of Shibuya Crossing from above, we headed down to participate in our own Shibuya Scramble. We were extremely fortunate to be there shortly after Japan won their World Cup soccer match against Tunisia. Thousands of Japanese fans decided to celebrate in the middle of Shibuya Crossing every time the light changed. It was a perfect example of organized chaos. Each time the walk sign lit up, police officers scurried into the intersection to rope off access outside of the crosswalk. Fans streamed into the intersection, cheering and jumping up and down, and then returned to the sidewalk when the light changed back. It felt very typically Japanese to me – busy and chaotic but well-organized and rule-abiding. We loved getting to experience that energy.
After crossing and then sticking around for a while to watch the mob celebrate a few times, we headed to my oldest son’s #1 shopping priority in Japan – Tower Records. He is an avid vinyl collector and couldn’t wait to explore the 8 floors of the Tower Records store. And explore he did! He spent about 2 hours there and loved every second of it. (My husband and I bailed after about 45 minutes and waited in a coffee shop down the street.) He purchased several albums (which he then carted across the rest of Japan and back home to the US) and had an amazing experience.
It was getting close to dinner time and we decided to head back to the hotel to eat. But before leaving we had to visit the Hachiko Statue. This bronze statue honors Japan’s most famous dog, Hachiko. The Japanese Akita’s loyalty is world-renowned. The beloved dog of a University of Tokyo professor in the 1920s, Hachiko came to Shibuya Station every day to meet his owner when he returned from work. Even after his owner passed away unexpectedly, Hachiko continued to go to the station every day to wait for him. He made his devoted trek every day for almost 10 years until he passed away. His love and loyalty are celebrated in many ways in Japan and around the world (even Rhode Island, the filming site of a movie about Hachiko, has a statue of him) but the statue outside Shibuya Station is the original and most famous tribute to him.
We did return to Shibuya the next night to do some additional shopping. The boys wanted to go to the Pokemon Center, as well as the Nintendo and Sega stores. Unfortunately the Nintendo Store was closed for inventory but they really enjoyed the Pokemon Center and then a quick pass through the Sega store.
