DISTANCE: 4km (2.5 miles)
TIME: 4–6 hours
START: Shibuya Station
END: Ebisu Station
POINTS TO NOTE: This walk can be combined with Aoyama and Harajuku (route 4) by catching the train or subway to Shibuya or walking about 10 minutes between the two areas. Do it towards the late afternoon to see Shibuya in its neon-lit brilliance.
As late as the 1880s, tea plantations covered the slopes that surround the valley known as Shibuya, but the area is now undergoing a dramatic transformation that is changing the station environs from a low-rise district into a nest of visionary skyscrapers. As with Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, the coming of the railways, and the department stores attached to them, changed all that. Today, this vibrant entertainment and shopping district is one of the most exciting in Tokyo, the centre from which fashion trends ripple out to the rest of Japan. This walk also takes you to the neighbouring area of Ebisu, named after a Shinto god of good fortune and the site of a one-time brewery now morphed into a complex of shops, restaurants and cultural facilities.
Iconic Shibuya Crossing
Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications
Shibuya
Several train and subway lines converge on Shibuya Station. From wherever you arrive, make your way through the Tokyu Toyoko department store towards the western side, which houses the terminus for the Keio-Inokashira line (you can hop on this later to visit the Japan Folk Crafts Museum). On the way you will pass a giant 14-panel painting, Myth of Tomorrow 1 [map] (Asu no Shinwa) by Okamoto Taro (1911–96), a powerful Guernica-like mural of the atomic-bomb explosion. Originally created in the late 1960s for a luxury hotel in Mexico, the monumental work was rediscovered in 2003 and took five years to be restored and find its new home in the station.
Japan Folk Crafts Museum
The outstanding Japan Folk Crafts Museum (Mingei-kan; 4-3-33 Komaba, Meguro-ku; www.mingeikan.or.jp; Tue–Sun 10am–5pm; charge) is located two stops from Shibuya on the Keio-Inokashira line. Alight at Komaba-Todaimae Station and walk northwest for a couple of minutes to find the lovely old building constructed of wood and stone, and once owned by master potter Yanagi Soetsu. A variety of ceramics, furniture and textiles are exhibited in this shrine to mingei, Japan’s folk-craft movement.
Hachiko Statue
Out of the window facing the Okamoto mural you will have a good view over Shibuya Crossing (Shibuya kosaten), a mesmerising confluence of neon, giant video screens and endless streams of people. Emerge at ground level in the plaza outside the station and dig among the crowds to find the statue of the faithful dog Hachiko 2 [map], one of Tokyo’s most famous meeting spots.
An Akita breed, Hachiko belonged to a Tokyo University professor who lived in Shibuya in the 1920s. The dog accompanied him to the station each morning, and met him there promptly every evening. When the professor died in 1925, Hachiko continued turning up to the station for the next decade until her own death, earning the affection of locals for exemplifying loyalty to a master.
Vintage Japanese cigarette boxes at the Tobacco and Salt Museum
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Tokyo Wonder Site
One block south, you’ll find a gallery that’s part of the Tokyo Wonder Site 3 [map] (www.tokyo-ws.org; Tue–Sun 11am–7pm; free). Always worth a look inside, the project is dedicated to the generation and promotion of contemporary art and culture in Tokyo.
Interesting shops
Cross Koen-dori and walk between the fashion stores Parco Part II and Parco Part I towards Tokyu Hands 4 [map] (www.tokyu-hands.co.jp; daily 10am–8pm, closed 2nd and 3rd Wed of month) on the left. This home-improvements and hobbies store is a great place for souvenirs, creative materials and outdoor goods of all kinds.
Head southwest towards Bunkamura-dori to find the main Tokyu department store and the attached arts centre Bunkamura 5 [map] (www.bunkamura.co.jp). Meaning ‘culture village’, the complex offers art galleries, a cinema, a theatre and the 2,150-seat Orchard Hall, an acoustically excellent shoebox-style hall used for classical-music concerts. Also here is Les Deux Magots, see 2.
109 Building
Running parallel to the north of Bunkamura-dori is narrow Centre Gai, a pedestrian street that acts as a catwalk of the latest Shibuya fashion. Having picked out some ideas, proceed to the distinctive silver silo of the 109 Building 6 [map] (2-29-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; www.shibuya109.jp; daily 10am–9pm) at the apex of Bunkamori-dori and Dogenzaka. This Shibuya landmark embodies the trends and culture of the teenage girls who play a leading role in Japanese consumer culture. Even if you don’t fit into the targeted demographic, just walking through the countless boutiques filled with young fashionistas and echoing with dance music is quite an adventure.
This street is named after the highway robber Dogen who once waylaid travellers on this slope (zaka). Walking away from Shibuya Station up Dogenzaka, to the right you will find an area dense with love hotels – the rent-by-the-hour places patronised by Tokyo couples looking for a little privacy.
Relaxing in Yebisu Garden Place
Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications
Shibuya Hikarie
Shibuya’s latest landmark retail complex, Hikarie 7 [map] (2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.hikarie.jp; daily 11am–11pm) is a vast and glistening warren of trendy boutiques, cafes and restaurants, with the giant Tokyu Theatre Orb (devoted to musicals) suspended midway up its concrete and glass girth. It’s best accessed via a suspended walkway from the east side of Shibuya station.
Ebisu
Walk east to return to Shibuya Station and take the JR Yamanote line one stop south to Ebisu. A moving walkway links the station with Yebisu Garden Place 8 [map] (www.gardenplace.jp), built on the site of the old Sapporo brewery. The spacious complex includes shops, restaurants, the Westin Hotel, a 39-storey tower, a cinema, a performance hall and a mock-French chateau housing a Joël Robuchon restaurant.
Two museums
Learn about the brewery that used to be here at the Yebisu Beer Museum 9 [map] (http://www.sapporobeer.jp/brewery/y_museum/index.html; Tue–Sun 10am–6.30pm; free), which includes a virtual-reality tour that explains aspects of the brewing process and an opportunity to sample some of Sapporo’s beers at Tasting Salon (charge).
The chateau at Yebisu Garden Place
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On the complex’s eastern side is the superb Tokyo Metropolitan Photography Museum ) [map] (Tokyo-to Shashin Bijutsukan; www.syabi.com; Tue–Sun 10am–6pm, Thur–Fri until 8pm; charge), the city’s premier exhibition space for notable photography and video art. The museum is currently in the course of renovation; it plans to reopen in fall of 2016.
Before leaving Yebisu Garden Place you could grab something to eat at Chibo, see 2, on the 38th floor of the tower. Alternatively, return to Ebisu Station, just northwest of which you will find delicious grilled chicken and sake at Ebisu Imaiya, see 3.
Food and drink
1 Les Deux Magots
2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; tel: 3477 9124; www.bunkamura.co.jp; daily 11am–10.30pm; station: Shibuya; ¥
Wind down over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at this branch of the famous Parisian café-bistro inside the Bunkamura arts complex.
2 Chibo
38F Yebisu Garden Place Tower, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku; tel: 5424 1011; Mon–Fri 11.30am–2.30pm and 5–10pm, Sat–Sun 11.30am–10pm; station: Ebisu; ¥¥
Okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) are made before your eyes on grills set in the table. Fun food and never expensive, plus a brilliant view.
3 Ebisu Imaiya
1-7-11 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya-ku; tel: 050 5789 5291; Mon–Thur 5pm–2am, Fri 5pm–4am, Sat and Sun 5pm–midnight; station: Ebisu; ¥¥
Delectable free-range chicken, served either as yakitori (charcoal-grilled) or in warming hotpots. Spotless and efficient, and everything is explained in English.