Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 101 Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa SHIBUYA | 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. ¦# Sangūbashi £# dō Kita- HATAGAYA kai Meiji- shu- sandō Kō jingū M £# Gyoen e Hatagaya i ji - d ō r NISHIHARA i £# Sasazuka Yoyogi- Tōgō-jinja Yoyogi- kōen Ta Yoyogi- kesh Hachiman it Uehara a- £# Harajuku £# dō Meiji- ri £# Yoyogi- Meiji-¦# ¦# jingūmae kōen jingūmae ¦# K In a o HARAJUKU m k KAMIYAMA- Higashi- iy as £# a h CHŌ I kitazawa m ir ch a i a - ba UEHARA d ng S ō JINNAN ai h r ō i KITAZAWA i te r n g UDAGAWA-4# Shimo- a Kitazawa £# SHŌTŌ i CHŌ Miyashita- uma-dō kōen DAITA z DŌGENZAKA 3# A SHIBUYA- £# Ikenoue 2# ōri KU -d 1#¦# Shibuya Komaba- ura £# am 5# £# £# Todaimae nk Keiō Shibuya Bu Shibuya o 3 Shinsen £# y N £# i pw r x MARUYAMA- E Tōkyū ō to M hu e DAIZAWA d CHŌ S Shibuya i - ji e - t d ō KOMABA a K y SAKURAGAOKA-CHŌ r m ū i a - 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 Japan’s options. Shibuya has plenty busiest intersection, Shibuya Crossing – a neon-lit scene for night crawlers who were that has become synonymous with Tokyo. From here, SHIBUYA & SHIMO-KITAZAWA & SHIBUYA 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 Shibuya Station, 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. Best Places Shibuya is, above all, an entertainment district and 5 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 109 (p112) and the ‘print club’ photo booths at Purikura 6 Best Places 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 Tomigaya (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 Ginza, Hanzōmon and Fukutoshin lines For reviews, see p110 A stop in Shibuya. ¨ Bus Bus No 1 departs for Roppongi from platform No 58 of the east exit bus terminal..

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