Shibuya, Tokyo

Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHI : Shibuya, Tokyo

-->

Location of Shibuya-ku in Tokyo.

Shibuya Crossing, with Shibuya 109 in the background

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2005, it has an estimated population of 195,877 and a density of 12960 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km².

In addition to this area, Shibuya Ward includes other well-known commercial and residential districts such as Daikanyama, Ebisu, Harajuku, Hiroo, Omotesando, Sendagaya and Yoyogi (the latter two are part of the Shinjuku Station area).

History

Hachiko, an Akita dog, was a Shibuya fixture during the late 1920s and early 1930s; his statue near Shibuya Station is a popular meeting spot.

Following the opening of the Yamanote Line in 1885, Shibuya began to emerge as a railway terminal for southwest Tokyo, and eventually as a major commercial and entertainment center. Shibuya was incorporated as a village in 1889, as a town in 1909, as a ward of Tokyo City in 1932, and as a ward of Tokyo Metropolis in 1943. The present-day special ward was established on March 15, 1947.

One of the most well-known stories concerning Shibuya is the story of Hachikō, a dog who waited on his late master at Shibuya Station every day from 1923 to 1935, eventually becoming a national celebrity for his loyalty. A statue of Hachiko was built adjacent to the station, and the surrounding Hachiko Square is now the most popular meeting point in the area.

Yoyogi Park in Shibuya was one of the main venues for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Shibuya has achieved great popularity among young people in the last thirty years. There are several famous fashion department stores in Shibuya. Shibuya 109 - called "Ichi-Maru-kyu", which translates as 1-0-9 in japanese is actually a pun on the name of the corporation that owns it "Tokyu", which translates as 10-9 in Japanese - is a major shopping center near Shibuya Station, particularly famous as the origin of the kogal subculture. The contemporary fashion scene in Shibuya extends northward from Shibuya Station to Harajuku, where youth culture reigns; Omotesando, the zelkova tree and fashion brand lined street; and Sendagaya, Tokyo's apparel design district. (See: List of apparel design shops in Sendagaya)

During the late 1990s, Shibuya also became known as the center of the IT industry in Japan. It was often called "Bit Valley" in English, a pun on "Bitter Valley", the literal translation of "Shibuya".

Sightseeing and historic sites

Green areas

A torii at Meiji Shrine, one of the largest green spaces in Tokyo.

• Meiji Shrine, Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, surrounded by a 700,000 square meter forest
• Shinjuku Gyoen (Sendagaya), former Imperial gardens now open to the public as a park
• Yoyogi Park, once a training base for the Imperial Japanese Army, later the Washington Heights housing area for the Occupation of Japan, then the lodgings for contestants in the Tokyo Olympics

Buildings

• Bunkamura, theatre and concert hall complex
• Cerulean Tower, the tallest building in the Shibuya Station area
• Ebisu Garden Place (Ebisu), site of the former Sapporo Beer brewery, now featuring restaurants and shopping and eating, along with the Westin Hotel
• National Noh Theatre (Sendagaya)
• New National Theatre (Hatsudai), site of opera, ballet and other performances
• NHK Broadcasting Center, headquarters of the NHK radio, television and satellite broadcasting system
• NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building (Sendagaya), the second-tallest building in Tokyo, patterned after the Empire State Building
• Omotesando Hills, a shopping mall completed in 2006
• Southern Terrace (Sendagaya)
• Takashimaya Times Square (Sendagaya), one of the largest department stores in Japan
• Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Sendagaya), a major indoor arena complex
• Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed for the 1964 Olympics by Kenzo Tange.

Streets

Omotesando in winter

• Aoyama Street, a major east-west thoroughfare
• Dōgen-zaka, a road in central Shibuya famous for its surrounding nightclubs and love hotels
• Koen Street, in central Shibuya between Shibuya Station and Yoyogi Park
• Meiji Avenue, a major north-south thoroughfare parallel to the Yamanote Line
• Miyamasu-zaka
• Omotesando, an avenue leading up to the Meiji Shrine with a number of famous brand boutiques
• Spain-zaka
• Takeshita Street, a shopping street through Harajuku
• Yamanote Street

Other

• Shibuya is famous for its scramble crossing, reportedly the world's busiest, which is located in front of Shibuya Station and uses a four-way stop to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. Three large TV screens mounted on nearby buildings overlook the crossing. The Starbucks store overlooking the crossing is reportedly the busiest in the world. The 2003 United States movie Lost in Translation featured a scene at the crossing.
• Statue of a Moyai, a gift from the people of Niijima, one of Tokyo's islands
• Eighteen embassies are located in Shibuya.

Transportation

Rail

• JR East
• *Yamanote Line: Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu Stations
• *Chuo-Sobu Line: Yoyogi, Sendagaya Stations
• *Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line: Shinjuku (the part south of Koshu Kaido, including the New South Entrance, is in Shibuya), Shibuya, Ebisu
• Tokyo Metro
• *Ginza Line: Shibuya Station
• *Hibiya Line: Ebisu Station
• *Chiyoda Line: Meiji Jingu-mae, Yoyogi Koen, Yoyogi Uehara Stations
• *Hanzomon Line: Shibuya Station
• *Tokyo Metro Line 13 (not yet open in Shibuya): Shin Sendagaya, Meiji Jingu-mae, Shibuya Stations
• Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Toei Oedo Line: Shinjuku (in Yoyogi), Yoyogi, Kokuritsu Kyogi-jo Stations
• Tokyo Kyuko Electric Railway (Tokyu)
• *Toyoko Line: Shibuya, Daikanyama Stations
• *Den-en-toshi Line: Shibuya, Ikejiri Ohashi Stations
• Keio
• *Inokashira Line: Shibuya, Shinsen
• *Keio Line: Sasazuka Station
• *Keio New Line: Hatsudai, Hatagaya, Sasazuka Stations
• Odakyu Odawara Line: Minami Shinjuku, Sangubashi, Yoyogi Hachiman, Yoyogi Uehara Stations
• The Royal Platform (kyuutei ho-mu), used by the Japanese Imperial Family on rare occasions, is located along the Yamanote Line, a few minutes walk from Harajuku Station in Sendagaya 3-chome.

Highway

• Shuto Expressway
• *No.3 Shibuya Route (Tanimachi JCT - Yoga)
• *No.4 Shinjuku Route (Miyakezaka JCT - Takaido)
• National highways
• *Route 20, the Kōshū Kaidō
• *Route 246, with the local names Aoyama-dōri and Tamagawa-dōri

Education

Colleges and universities

• Aoyama Gakuin University
• Bunka Women's University (Yoyogi)
• Jissen Women's University
• Kokugakuin University (Sendagaya)
• University of the Sacred Heart (Hiroo)
• Tokai University

People

• Yamaguchi Momoe: actress
• Yoshinaga Sayuri: actress

Companies

The Shibuya 109 ("Marukyu") shopping complex is known as the origin of the kogal subculture in Japan.

• Calpis: beverage maker
• Casio: electronics company
• Cyber Agent Ltd.: Internet advertising agency
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) (Yoyogi)
• Gap Japan
• Glaxo Smith Kline
• Google Japan
• Ito En Ltd.: Bottler of tea, coffee, vegetable drinks and other beverages
• Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd.
• Microsoft Japan
• NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) (NHK Broadcasting Center)
• Sapporo Breweries Limited
• Square Enix: videogame, manga producer
• Teichiku Records: record label
• Tokyu Corporation

Shibuya in popular culture

• Gals!: anime set in Shibuya
• Jet Set Radio: Takes place in Shibuya-cho
• Prayers (anime): anime set in a Shibuya in the year 2014 where it has become an independent nation
• Sh15uya: manga and live-action series set in a "virtual world Shibuya"
• Shibuya-kei: a style of Japanese Pop music.
• Digimon: Fourth season set here

External links

• [Shibuya official website] in English
• [Wikitravel] Tokyo/Shibuya
• [Podcast on Shibuya, Tokyo] in English
• See also: List of upscale shopping districts

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.