Shibuya

Shibuya: The Greatest Place on Earth

I lived in Shibuya for awhile and it will always have a special place in my heart. If you are visiting Tokyo, the Shibuya crossing and a walk through Center-Gai is fantastic. You can reach Shibuya station with many major lines but the most notable is the JR Green Yamanote Line. I would recommend visiting Shibuya at night time,to take in all the lights and all of the young Tokyoites meeting up for Karaoke, Nomihodai (all you can drink), or a quick bite. It can be a little overwhelming and quite crowded but embrace that, because that's the beauty of Tokyo: 30 million people all working together in a clean and safe metropolis. 

In most crowded places around the world, I would suggest looking out for pickpocketers but I have never felt unsafe in Shibuya or had anything stolen (I saw girls save their seats with their wallets and purses!)

On a personal note, if I was ever feeling down or homesick I would always come out to the Shibuya Scramble and just stare at the lights, the people, and take in the incredible environment. 

Some things to check out in Shibuya: 

Center Gai (the street way in the second picture to the right of the girl covering her eyes) which is a mostly pedestrian area filled with stores, restaurants, and bars.

Karaoke: There are plenty of Karaoke bars in Tokyo: most notable is the one in Center Gai, which was featured in Lost In Translation

Game Center: Check out a Japanese arcade for some of the most advanced arcade equipment

Pachinko Game Center: Sometimes featured in the same buildings of a game center, Pachinko is a "legal form of gambling" in Japan. Extremely loud and I still don't understand how it works and probably never will. 

Purikura: Try out a Japanese photo booth, which features covers of popular American music while you take pictures with your friends and then edit them. A lot of the booths men are not allowed in without a woman and you have to have a Japanese phone to send some the pictures digitally. 

The Lock Up: Prison, insane asylum, bad hospital themed restaurant.

Izakaya: There are plenty of Japanese style bars that have Nomihodai (all you can drink for about 1500Yen + you have to buy 2 food items)

Donkihote: You can buy anything here, I mean anything! Groceries, sex toys, a cellphone, porn, a bicycle, linens.

Love Hotel Hill: A little past Donkihote, Love Hotel Hill is a fascinating aspect of Japanese culture. (A blog post to come soon!)