Tokyo/Shibuya

Most of the action in Shibuya is in the hectic blocks to the northwest of the JR station. The best place to get oriented is the Hachikō (ハチ公) exit, which opens onto the famous five-way "scramble crossing" under the giant video screen. From left to right at the edges of the square are...
# Keio Inokashira line station
# Dōgenzaka (道玄坂) slope
# 109 building
# Bunkamura-dōri (文化村通り) street
# Center-gai (センター街 Sentaa-gai) street
# Q-FRONT building featuring a large Starbucks and the monstrous video screen
# Kōen-dōri (公園通り) street
## Inokashira-dōri (井の頭通り), branching to the left after the Seibu Department Store
# 109-2 building
# JR line tracks to Harajuku.
The area to the south of the station is bounded by a highway, so there's not much more than bus terminals (on both sides) and the Tōkyū Plaza department store.
The two major roads heading east from the station continue to Aoyama and Roppongi.

By plane

One-seat train service is available from Narita Airport to Shibuya on the Narita Express. Trains run every 30-60 minutes and make the run to Shibuya in 70 minutes at a cost of ¥3190. Alternatively you can take the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori station and change to the JR Yamanote Line (approx. 75 minutes, ¥2670).
Budget travelers can take a regular Keisei limited express from Narita Airport to Nippori and change to the Yamanote Line (approx. 110 minutes, ¥1230). In the evenings, faster Access Tokkyu trains from Narita Airport to Nippori shave 20 minutes off the overall travel time against an extra charge of ¥210.
Airport limousine buses run from Narita to the Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu and the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel (90-120 min, ¥3100). Discount bus tickets for foreigners are available to the Tokyo City Air Terminal, or T-CAT (1 hour, ¥1900); from there, the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Subway can bring you to Shibuya Station (20 min, ¥200).
From Haneda Airport, Shibuya can be reached by taking the Keikyu Airport Line to Shinagawa and changing to the JR Yamanote Line (approx. 35 minutes, ¥580). Limousine buses also run from Haneda to the hotels listed above (One hour, ¥1030).

By train

Shibuya's station is a notoriously convoluted web of passageways. Follow the signage and you should find your way out (or in).

• JR Yamanote Line, Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line
• Tokyu Tōyoko Line, Den-en-toshi Line
• Keio Inokashira Line
• Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
  RailRider
  (G01), Hanzomon Line
  RailRider
  (Z01), Fukutoshin Line
  RailRider
  (F16)

You can also walk to Ebisu and Harajuku (where you could catch JR Yamanote Line trains), and Omotesando (where you could catch Tokyo Metro Lines).
The Tōkyū Tōyoko line is the cheapest and most convenient way to visit Yokohama. It is several stories underground where services continue on to the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line for points north.

• Shibuya CrossingThe famous crossing sees people crossing in every direction en masse. The second floor of the Starbucks is known to be a great spot to take photos of the crazy pedestrian crossing. However, the store layout prevents you from access without buying anything. Not jumping the cue is enforced.

• HachikōA diminutive statue of a dog tucked away in one corner of the big plaza outside the station, best known as a meeting place and for the story (see box). It is also the name of one of the many exits from Shibuya Station and the prime meeting place before a night out. Just hanging out near Hachiko for a while will give you some great people-watching opportunities.

• Center GaiThe narrow street leading away from the station to the left of the giant video screen, it's famous as the birthplace of many of Japan's youth fashion trends. Center Gai is jam-packed with clothing stores, music stores, and video game arcades. This is a great place to stroll and feel the Shibuya vibe.

• BunkamuraBunkamura-dori. A complex featuring an excellent art museum, in addition to theaters for film and stage plays. On the basement floor there's an art and design bookstore as well as a branch of Paris' famous Les Deux Magots café.

• HikarieHikarie is a brand new massive building on the East side of Shibuya station with many restaurants, galleries, and theaters.

• Myth of TomorrowA huge mural by famous artist Tarō Okamoto, it commemorates the Hiroshima atomic bombing. In it, a human figure burns and others appear to run from flames. The mural is at the entrance of the Inokashira line, 100 meters from Hachikō. It was first built in Mexico, found there in 2004 and brought to Japan in 2005.

• Yamatane Museum of Art

  phone: +81 3-3239-5911
  Specializes in modern Japanese-style paintings and has a notable collection though only a handful are on display at one time due to preservation issues.

• NTT DoCoMo BuildingThis gigantic tower resembling a granite Empire State Building, south of the station, is owned by NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest cell-phone carrier. The upper part of the building is a mobile communications tower.

• Southern Terrace

  address: a cross from the South Exit of Shinjuku Station
  The promenade next to the Southern Terrace exit offers a magnificent view of the Takashimaya department store and a bridge that offers the best views for watching the trains enter and exit.

There are movie theaters and electronics stores nearby.

Shibuya has lots and lots of interesting shopping opportunities. It's the home of the huge Tokyu conglomerate (railways, department stores, hotels, housing developments), and thus practically every major store in the area has Tokyu in its name.

Anime & Manga

• Mandarake

  address: BEAM B2F, Udagawa 31-2
  Massive shop devoted to manga, anime, hentai, dojinshi, figurines and collectible offshoots.

• NHK Studio Park

  address: Jinnan 2-2-1
  Studio sightseeing operation run by the national broadcaster NHK, home to a gift shop selling the widest collection of Domo-kun figures on the planet.

Fashion

Shibuya is the center of Japanese youth culture and it shows.

• 0101Department store with all of the usual high-end brands.

• 109 BuildingTeenage fashion. Worth an escalator trip.

Music

Shibuya has copious music shopping opportunities, but expect some sticker shock as Japanese CDs often clock in at ¥3000+; imports are usually cheaper! In addition to the superstores below, also check out the miniature alternative ghetto (Jinnan 11 and nearby, just past Tokyu Hands), full of tiny specialist record shops.

• Disk Union

  address: Antenna 21, Udagawa 30-7
  Used and new record dealer with floors each specializing in punk, rock, jazz and dance music.

• HMV

  address: Udagawa 24-1
  Closed in August, 2010. Featured six floors of music from all around the world.

• RECOfan

  address: BEAM 4F, Udagawa 31-2
  Good shopping for second-hand music in this cavernous hall: all records are categorized and alphabetized for quick browsing, and prices start at ¥100.

• Tower Records

  address: Jinnan 1-22-14
  For a while the largest record store in the world, now merely mind-bogglingly huge. Good selection of English books and magazines on the top floor, in addition to 6 other floors of J-pop, Western rock, jazz, classical and DVDs.
• For musical equipment, there's a good cluster of shops just southwest of the JR station. (Take the pedestrian overpass to cross the highway.)

Other

• Tokyu Hands

  phone: +81 3-5489-5111
  address: 12-18 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
  Promoted as "Creative Life Store", Tokyu Hands has everything from do-it-yourself, interior, hobby, crafts, outdoors to stationery and more. The Shibuya store spans eight floors.

• Tokyu Hands

  phone: +81 3-5361-3111
  address: Sendagaya 5-24-2
  This is a large variety goods shop, and if "large" doesn't impress you, you have probably never faced the dilemma which kind of sand to use for your model railway. Because here, you can choose from a dozen kinds of sand alone - from yellow Sahara sand to reddish Nullarbor sand, everything in handy plastic packets. This shop is the best proof that in a rich mega city, there is a clientele for anything. You can buy almost anything you want. Also a good travel luggage section, and if you need a pen or pencil you will be overwhelmed with the choice.

• LoftLoft is Seibu's answer to Tokyu Hands, also offering a large array of products related to interior, hobby, crafts and gifts, but with a slightly less strong emphasis on do-it-yourself. The Loft Shibuya branch consists of seven floors.

• Takashimaya

  phone: +81 3-5361-1111
  address: Sendagaya 5-24-2
  This department store caters towards the mid-20s and up, along with families. The depachika is comparable to Isetan, but not as famous. Look for Tokyu Hands and Books Kinokuniya at the Southern end of the department store.

You can't turn around without spotting a handful of restaurants here from ¥100 noodles to top notch gourmet food.

• Kujiraya

  phone: +81 3-3461-9145
  address: Dogenzaka 2-29-22
  The specialty and only food here is whale meat dishes, which are very rare elsewhere. Human consumption of whale meat is controversial and has been denounced by detractors on wildlife conservation, toxicity, and animal rights grounds. The restaurant hands out pro-whaling propaganda pamphlets.

• Murghi

  phone: +81 3-3461-8809
  address: Dogenzaka 2-19-2
  Founded in 1951, when the owner decided to serve the kind of curry he had enjoyed in Burma before World War II.

• Tokyu Department StoreA superb food section in the basement with enough free samples to make a full lunch, if you don't mind not having a place to sit.

• Gonpachi

  phone: +81 3-5784-2011
  address: 3-6 Maruyama-cho Shibuya-ku 14F
  Trendy eatery specializing in soba, with a separate sushi bar in the back.

• Tokyo Bellini Caffe

  phone: +81 3-5489-1371
  address: 20-15 Udagawa-cho
  This is a casual Italian restaurant. There are many kind of delicious pastas and lunch which is changed weekly.

• Sweets Paradise

  phone: +81 3-3463-8525
  address: Shibuya Parco Part3 3F, 14-5 Udagawacho
  This is a buffet style restaurant. You can eat as much as you can. There are a lot of sweets such as cakes, pies, yogurt, jelly, and some Japanese sweets like dumpling, anko, and warabimochi. And there are not only sweets but also some pastas, sandwiches, curry and rice, and salad, so it's good for lunch and dinner.

• Kyosuzu

  phone: +81 3-6418-1278
  address: Shibuya, Hiroo 3-17-1-1F,13 minutes for JR and Hibiya line Ebisu station
  This restaurant serves Japanese dishes.

• Restaurant Kinoshita

  phone: +81 3-3376-5336
  address: 3-37-1 Yoyogi Shibuya-ku
  Kinoshita makes eating French food in Japan justifiable. Some say that with its underpriced menu, dinner courses for ¥3800-¥7000, and weekday lunches for ¥1800, this restaurant is considered one of the best kept secrets in Tokyo. But in fact it is popular, and reservations are mandatory. Menu in French and Japanese.

Shibuya is a major center for nightclubs, music, and dancing. Also, Nonbei-yokochō (のんべい横丁), magically shielded from decades of commercial development, is a narrow alley running alongside the east side of the Yamanote tracks just north of the station. It's packed with traditional yakitori taverns as well as some modern, extremely tiny bars. The district was formed in 1955, and a few of the shops have been operating since then.

Cafes

• Cafe Apres-Midi

  phone: +81 3-5428-5121
  address: 1-9-11 Jinnan 2F
  Jazzy cafe with 60s decor in moody lighting. Excellent food, try the quiche, although portions are small

• M/13 Cafe

  phone: +81 3-5766-9111
  address: 1-16-14 Metoro Plaza, 2F
  Well-lit cafe with large second-floor windows, serving light meals, coffee and drinks.

• Beat Cafe

  phone: +81 9093344342
  address: 33-13-3B, Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku
  Small cafe-bar-restaurant catering to the young alternative rock crowd. While showing constant videos from VH1 Classic on their TV, the easy drinking, simple eating crowd is about as friendly as they come. If you can't talk in your own native language, you can always discuss music.

• Excelsior Cafe

  phone: +81 3-5728-7667
  address: 1-20-12 Jinnan, Toyama Building 1st/2nd Floors
  Great coffee and delicious sandwiches, with a warm smile.

Pubs

• The Aldgate

  phone: +81 3-3462-2983
  address: Shiniwasaki Bldg 3F, Udagawacho 30-4
  Down to earth smoke-free British-style pub, with a large number of Japanese and international beers on tap and a large collection of British Rock music on vinyl.

• The Dubliners

  phone: +81 3-5459-1736
  address: 2F, 2-29-8 Dogenzaka
  An Irish pub popular among foreigners.

• Hobgoblin Shibuya

  phone: +81 3-6415-4244
  address: Ichiban Bldg 3F, 1-3-11, Dogenzaka
  Outlet of the famous British micro-brewer Wychwood Brewery.

• Craftheads

  phone: +81 3-6416-9474
  address: 1-13-10 Jinnan, B1
  Remarkable section of imported craft beers, and some domestic ones as well. Free WiFi. High ceilings, modern wood-and-concrete ambiance. Even pricier than the typical imported brew pub.

Izakaya

There are plenty of cheap and cheerful izakaya (Japanese pubs) scattered about Shibuya. The Watami and Outami chains offers good, but not too inspiring, watering holes.

• Bar Ishinohana

  phone: +81 3-5485-8405
  address: Daini Yaki Bldg., B1, 3-6-2
  Acclaimed high-end bar serving up drinks that are more works of art then cocktails.

• Happy Dining Ghetto

  address: Center Building 3F, 25-5 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku
  Serves izakaya-style fare: lots of fried food, including chiizuage (fried cheese), spicy French fries, edamame, pizza, and lots of foods with mayo! Asian fusion dinners served, but a bit on the pricy side (¥3000). Bar with extensive drink selection. American hip-hop plays overhead while the music videos play on monitors scattered about. Lots of fun, but know that it caters to the young, club-hopping Shibuya crowd.

• Kaji Maru

  phone: +81 3-3463-1717
  address: 28-1 Udagawa-cho
  Kaji Maru is an atmospheric and smallish Asian-fusion izakaya one floor above the hubbub of Shibuya. An English menu is available.

• Tengu

  address: 25-3 Udagawa-cho
  Tengu is a part of a popular izakaya chain, which stands out from the rest mainly because they have an English menu.

• The Lock Up

  phone: +81 3-5728-7731
  address: 33-1 Udagawa-cho
  Even if you have no plans to eat, check out the approach to this theme izakaya, a long hallway more like a haunted house than the entrance to a restaurant. Inside you'll find a dungeon theme eatery featuring test tube cocktails, food with brutal names, uniformed mini-skirt-staff, handcuffs and prison breaks. Tell the staff it's your birthday for an extra special surprise!

Nightclubs

• Camelot

  phone: +81 3-5728-5613
  address: 神南1-18-2 神南坂フレームB2/B3
  Multi-room nightclub that plays a mix of hip-hop, r&b, and techno/house in their different areas. Most of the clientele is of a younger crowd (ages 20-25). Friday's entrance fee is only ¥1000 (incl. two drinks).

• Club Air / FRAMES

  phone: +81 3-6145-6231
  address: B2 Hikawa Bldg, 2-11 Sarugaku
  Made a brief appearance in the movie Lost in Translation.

• Club Atom / STUDIO-A

  phone: +81 3-5428-5195
  address: 4F/5F Dr.Jeekahn's Maruyamacho
  Owned by Vanilla, this club houses three dance floors with music ranging from psychedelic trance to hip-hop.

• Club Asia

  address: Shibuya, Maruyama-chou, 1-8
  Popular for trance music all night long.

• Harlem

  phone: +81 3-3461-8806
  address: 2-4 Maruyamacho, Dr. Jeekahn's 2F
  Large two-floor all hip-hop club. Foreigners may not be admitted unless they bring along a Japanese friend.

• Shibuya NutsConsiderably smaller than the above mentioned nightclubs, has a good reputation among the hip-hop crowd in Tokyo and features occasional live performances.

• VuenosOwned by the same folks as Club Asia, and dedicated rap and r&b club with occasional live dance and rap performances.

• Womb

  phone: +81 3-5459-0039
  address: Maruyama 2-16
  One of Tokyo's largest clubs, designed by the people behind New York's Twilo and the setting of a scene in Babel.

• Rock WestA smaller, friendly club that specialised in underground techno, fairly well hidden on 7F of an office building. It`s certainly one of the cheaper spots in the area.

• Rock no CocoroPlaying Indie, 'UK-Rock' and various themed nights including girl music and metal, this is characterized by the various touring rock bands that have passed through and signed the beer coasters that line the wall.

If Shibuya's clubs aren't enough, hop on a free shuttle bus to Ageha, Tokyo's largest nightclub. Buses depart from the crossing of Roppongi-dori and Meiji-dori, opposite Shibuya police station, on the east ("wrong") side of Shibuya station.

Accommodation options in Shibuya are surprisingly limited. The hillside to the left of Dogenzaka is also known as Love Hotel Hill and indeed contains dozens of love hotels, although they're on the expensive side: figure on at least ¥10,000 for an overnight "stay".

• Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel

  phone: +81 3-3476-3000
  address: 26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho
  A popular high-end hotel near the JR station. Also contains a large office complex, as well as some very expensive restaurants.

• Shibuya Excel Hotel TokyuA popular high-end hotel in the Mark City building.

• Tokyu Stay Shibuya

  phone: +81 3-3477-1091
  address: 8-14 Shinsen-cho
  Part of the Tokyu Stay chain, this hotel is popular with business travelers. Small kitchenettes, washer/dryers, and free LAN access in all rooms makes these a good value.

• Tokyu Stay Shibuya Shin-Minamiguchi

  phone: +81 3-5466-0109
  address: 3-26-21 Shibuya
  This is another outlet of the same chain.

• Hotel Century Southern Tower

  phone: +81 3-5354-0111
  address: 2-2-1 Yoyogi
  Well furnished rooms with enough space to get around it. Very good breakfast buffer. Excellent views of the surrounding area from rooms and lobby, which is on the 20th floor.

• Tokyo/Harajuku, reachable within 15 minutes by walking North along Meiji Road.
• Ebisu, the next stop south on the JR Yamanote Line, is a quieter and more sophisticated version of the Shibuya scene.
• Shimokitazawa, just two stops down the Keio Inokashira line, offers trendy shops, restaurants and watering holes in a slightly less frenetic atmosphere.
• Kichijoji, at the other end of the Inokashira Line, has more of the same plus a park famed for its cherry blossoms.