©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 101

Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa | SHINSEN

Neighbourhood Top Five 1 Losing yourself in the 2 Eating, drinking and 4 Singing your heart out crowds at Shibuya Cross- shopping your way down at all-night karaoke parlour ing (p103), and getting the neighbourhood’s buzz- Shidax Village (p110). swept along in the beating ing main drag, Shibuya 5 Scoping out the club heart of desire, aspiration Center-gai (p104). scene on Dōgenzaka and materialism that is 3 Wandering the tiny (p104), also known as Love Shibuya. alleys of Shimo-Kitazawa Hotel Hill. (p108), a bohemian enclave.

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Y Ya m at DAIKANYAMA TAISHIDŌ e Ikejiri- -d £# ō Ōhashi ri SARUGAKU- CHŌ For more detail of this area, see Map p283 A 102 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa Missed the last train? You’re Shibuya has few sights, but makes up for it with sheer not alone – or stuck for presence. As you exit the station you’ll first hit ’s options. Shibuya has plenty busiest intersection, Shibuya Crossing – a neon-lit scene for night crawlers who were that has become synonymous with . From here, Shibuya &Shimo-Kitazawa lured out late by the neigh- the pedestrian traffic carries onto Shibuya Center-gai, bourhood’s charms but the neighbourhood’s main artery, lined with shops, who’d rather not fork over cheap eateries and bars. the yen for a taxi ride home. The area around Center-gai is primarily a teen hang- In addition to love hotels and out. On the east side of , the new Shibuya manga kissa (cafes where Hikarie complex is part of an effort to redevelop the you pay by the hour to read neighbourhood and bring in a more adult (and moneyed) manga, Japanese comic vibe. Inside you’ll find a handful of cultural attractions, books), consider waiting for several floors of restaurants and tonnes of shopping. the first train at a karaoke Further afield, 3km southwest of central Shibuya, is parlour; most offer dis- the cosy neighbourhood of Shimo-Kitazawa, with small, counted all-night packages quirky shops, good restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars from midnight to 5am. around every corner. It’s popular with students, but also

with an artsy and intellectual grown-up crowd. There’s  an active underground music and theatre scene here, too. Shibuya is, above all, an entertainment district and 5 Best Places it really comes alive at night. There are dance clubs, to Eat live-music venues, theatres and cinemas galore. While ¨¨d47 Shokudō (p105) weekends are the busiest, you’ll find people from all over ¨¨Matsukiya (p108) Tokyo here any night of the week. Bars and karaoke par- ¨¨Shirube (p109) lours stay open until dawn. ¨¨Kaikaya (p108) For reviews, see p105 A Local Life ¨ Teen culture Local teens love fashion hive Shibuya 6 Best Places 109 (p112) and the ‘print club’ photo booths at Purikura to Drink no Mecca (p112). ¨ Record stores Shimo-Kitazawa (p108) and the ¨¨Good Beer Faucets Udagawa-chō neighbourhood of Shibuya are studded (p108) with tiny specialist record shops popular with local DJs. ¨¨Bear Pond Espresso ¨ Dining Nearer to Shinsen Station (one stop west of (p108) Shibuya) are some restaurants with a more grown-up ¨¨Fuglen Tokyo (p111) vibe. Try Kaikaya (p108) or Matsukiya (p108). ¨¨Tight (p110) ¨ Hang-outs The neighbourhood (p111), along with the Kamiyama shōtengai (market street) For reviews, see p108 A that runs between Tomigaya and central Shibuya, is the centre of a hip cafe and bistro scene. Best 3 Places for Entertainment Getting There & Away ¨¨WWW (p110) ¨ Train The JR Yamanote line stops at Shibuya ¨¨Setagaya Public Station. The Keiō Inokashira line departs from Keiō Theatre (p110) Shibuya Station for Shinsen, Komaba-Todaimae and Shimo-Kitazawa. ¨¨Club Quattro (p111) ¨ Subway The , Hanzōmon and Fukutoshin lines For reviews, see p110 A stop in Shibuya. ¨ Bus Bus No 1 departs for from platform No 58 of the east exit bus terminal.