The 12 Best Things To Do In Shibuya (Tokyo) For First Time Tourists

This is a list of 12 best things to do in Shibuya for first time tourists! This trendy district in Tokyo is home to a tidy sprawl of modern shopping malls, stylish retail shops, restaurants, and Japanese bars. It is a very popular hangout spot for young Japanese adults.

1. Shibuya Crossing

Great view from Starbucks

Shibuya Crossing is the busiest street intersection in the world, and is one of the most iconic images of Tokyo! It is located outside Shibuya Station.

There are many places to view this crossing. I went to the second floor of Starbucks (Shibuya Tsutaya branch), where the large glass windows provide a paranomic view of the intersection. I took many photos and also captured a cool time lapse of the crossing from here.

Even though the intersection was incredibly busy with literally hundreds of people crossing every minute, it was extremely orderly and I didn’t witness any chaos at all. This is one of the reasons I love Japan.

After that, the wife and I went down and took some photos while standing in the middle of the intersection! I realised that there were many other people (both tourists and locals) doing the same thing as us, and some of the locals were even dressed in flamboyant costumes. It was definitely an interesting experience!

The best time to see the crowds walking across Shibuya Crossing is after 7pm on weekdays and after 1pm on weekends. The photos above were taken on a Saturday at around 2pm.

2. Shibuya Center Gai

Shibuya Center Gai is a vibrant street lined with many trendy shops, eateries, bars, and night clubs. We saw plenty of hip young Japanese locals here and felt a little old walking among them, but it was still nice to walk around and enjoy the lively vibe.

Center Gai is steps away from Shibuya Station.

3. Hachiko Statue

The Hachiko Statue is an iconic statue built to honour Eizaburo Ueno’s famous loyal dog. It is located near Shibuya Station’s Hachiko Exit.

Hachiko was the pet dog of Eizaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo’s Imperial University. Every morning, Hachiko would accompany his master to Shibuya Station when the professor went to work. Hachiko would then return to the station in the afternoon to greet Ueno upon his return.

Sadly, Ueno died in 1925 at the university and did not have the chance to bid his pet farewell. Amazingly, Hachiko continued returning to the station every day to wait for his master for almost 10 years until his death.

Today, the statue is a popular meeting spot and tourist attraction. When I went in the afternoon there were plenty of tourists crowding around to take a picture with the statue. After waiting for a few minutes I managed to find an empty spot to pose with Hachiko too.

4. Shibuya Loft

Shibuya Loft is a famous chain store that sells stylish Japanese products like stationery, handicrafts, cosmetics, kitchenware, furniture, toys, and craft supplies. Think of it as an upscale version of Daiso. This is a good place to buy some nifty Japanese souvenirs back home.

Shibuya Loft
Directions: 3-minute walk from Shibuya Station
Address: 21-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0042, Japan
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm

5. Shibuya 109

Shibuya 109 is a ten-storey shopping mall in Shibuya that specialises in young women’s fashion. However, many of the shops also have products for ladies of all ages.

The brands are mainly Japanese, and some of the famous ones include ABC Mart (sneakers), R&E (trendy heels), adidas Original Girls Shop, atmos pink (ladies sneakers), One Spo (attractive sportswear), and many more.

While the wife was happily shopping, I took refuge in a Marvel specialty shop and managed to kill some time browsing through cool Marvel merchandise.

The best time to shop here is during the popular Winter Sale (2nd t0 31st January) and Summer Sale (30th June to 31st July).

Shibuya 109
Directions: Steps from Shibuya Station
Address: 2 Chome-29-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0043, Japan
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm
Store Directory: www.shibuya109.jp/shop

6. Magnet by Shibuya 109

For the male shoppers, Magnet by Shibuya 109 (previously known as 109 Men’s) is just across the street from Shibuya 109. This recently revamped shopping complex specialises in men fashion, featuring seven floors of stylish menswear and accessories.

Magnet by Shibuya 109
Directions: Steps from Shibuya Station
Address: 1 Chome-23-10 Jinnan, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0041, Japan
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm
Store Directory: magnetbyshibuya109.jp/en/floor

7. Don Quijote Shibuya

Click to enlarge

Don Quijote is a huge discount chain store in Japan with over 160 branches, and the largest outlet is located here in Shibuya!

Known as “MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya Honten”, this seven-storey mega store sells everything you can possibly think of, ranging from food to groceries to kitchenware to electronics to toys to perfume to cosmetics and more.

We only walked around here for a short while because our itinerary was quite tight, but if you have time it should be nice to spend some time browsing through the myriad of products.

Also, the shop is open 24 hours so if you are staying in a hotel nearby you can drop by to get some late night snacks.

Don Quijote Shibuya
Directions: 2-minute walk from Shibuya Station
Address: 28-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 154-0042, Japan
Opening Hours: Open 24 Hours

8. Niku Yokocho

Niku Yokocho is an indoor bazaar home to dozens of Japanese restaurants selling meat dishes like yakitori (chicken skewers), yakiniku (grilled beef), etc. The prices here are very affordable, therefore it is very popular with young Japanese office workers.

We dropped by one of the restaurants to indulge in delicious yakitori, pork belly skewers, and chicken skin skewers. We only paid around JPY1300 for eight skewers, which was very reasonable.

While the restaurant definitely did not have a classy ambience, it had a cozy and authentic Japanese vibe which I enjoyed.

Niku Yokocho
Directions: 3-minute walk from Shibuya Station
Address: 13-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo  150-0042, Japan
Opening Hours: | Mon to Fri: 5pm – 5am | Sat & Sun: 4pm – 5am |

9. Nonbei Yokocho

Nonbei Yokocho is a small street lined with traditional Japanese bars and Izakayas. Literally translated as “Drunkard’s Alley”, this is a good place to visit at night for Japanese comfort food and alcohol.

Nonbei Yokocho
Directions: Steps from Shibuya Station
Address: 1 Chome-25 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
Opening Hours: Around 7pm till midnight

10. Samurai Armor Photo Studio

Samurai Armor Photo Studio is a photography company that offers photoshoot opportunities with traditional Samurai costumes. There are two packages available: Studio Shooting (photos taken in studio only, JPY 13,000) and Street Shooting (two-hour outdoor photoshoot, from JPY30,000).

Yes the prices are quite expensive, but the company has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, and it should be a fun experience. Visit their website below for more details.

Samurai Armor Photo Studio
Directions: 8-minute walk from Shibuya Station
Address: 5-6 Maruyamacho 7F, Shibuya City, Maruyamacho, Tokyo 150-0044, Japan
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm
Website: http://samurai.bz/en

11. Shibuya Halloween

Shibuya Halloween is an annual unofficial event that see hordes of costumed party-goers congregating at Shibuya Crossing for a night of revels on Halloween (31st October) every year. Several bars and clubs in the area will also have their own Halloween parties.

12. Shibuya Blue Cave

Shibuya Blue Cave is a popular annual illumination event that will be held in Shibuya from 29 November to 31st December 2019. Around 600,000 blue LED lights will light up the 800 metre long avenue between Shibuya Koen Dori Street and Yoyogi Park Keyaki Namiki.

If you are visiting Shibuya this winter, make sure you stroll down this magical lighted path and take plenty of Instagram-worthy pictures!

Shibuya Blue Cave
Location: Shibuya Koen Dori Street to Yoyogi Park Keyaki Namiki
Directions: From Shibuya Station, walk 1 minute to Koen Dori Street, and stroll along the lighted path towards Yoyogi Park
Date: 29 Nov to 31 Dec 2019
Hours: Daily 5pm to 10pm (till 5am the next day on 31 Dec)

This article is part of our super awesome Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide For First Timers. Everything you need to know about Tokyo is just a click away!