Shibuya (渋谷) is Tokyo at its most electric. This district of screens, crowds, music and youth fashion grew up around one of the busiest pedestrian crossings on earth. If Kyoto is Japan's image of the past, Shibuya is its image of the restless present. People come here to shop, to meet friends and simply to feel the pulse of the city.
The Scramble
The heart of Shibuya is the Scramble Crossing (交差点), the huge intersection outside the station. Each time the lights change, traffic stops on all sides at once. Hundreds of people, sometimes thousands, flood across from every direction. They weave through each other and clear the road in about a minute, ready for the next wave. Above them, giant video screens and neon signs wash the crowd in light. The crossing has become shorthand for Tokyo itself. People film and photograph it endlessly, and the best view is from the windows above.
Hachikō and youth culture
Just outside the station stands the bronze statue of Hachikō (ハチ公). This Akita dog met his owner at the station every day. After the man died in 1925, Hachikō kept coming back to wait for him for almost ten years. His loyalty made him a national symbol. Today "let's meet at Hachikō" is the most famous meeting point in Tokyo. Around the statue, Shibuya is a capital of youth culture (wakamono, 若者). There are the fashion shops of the Shibuya 109 building, record shops and small live music clubs. Nearby lie the sloping streets of Harajuku. Wave after wave of Japanese street style began here. The district still thrives on being the place where young people come to show off and watch each other.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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スクランブル交差点 (sukuranburu kōsaten): "scramble crossing," an intersection where all the pedestrian lights turn green at once. Shibuya's is the most famous in the world.
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ハチ公 (Hachikō): the faithful dog's name and statue. -kō is a fond, slightly old-fashioned suffix, so the name means something like "dear Hachi."