Shibuya (渋谷) is one of the twenty-three city wards of Tokyo, but often refers to just the popular shopping and entertainment area found around Shibuya Station. In this regard, Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most colorful and busy districts, packed with shopping, dining and nightclubs serving swarms of visitors that come to the district everyday. Shibuya is a center for youth fashion and culture, and its streets are the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion and entertainment trends. Over a dozen major department store branches can be found around the area catering to all types of shoppers. Most of the area’s large department and fashion stores belong to either Tokyu or Seibu, two competing corporations. A prominent landmark of Shibuya is the large intersection in front of the station’s Hachiko Exit. The intersection is heavily decorated by neon advertisements and giant video screens and gets flooded by pedestrians each time the crossing light turns green, making it a popular photo and movie filming spot. Shibuya Station and surroundings will be undergoing major redevelopment over the coming years. On the east side of the station, a new large culture, shopping and office complex, the Shibuya Hikarie, will be opened in spring 2012, followed by the move of the Tokyu Toyoko Line platforms to the underground, which will enable through traffic with the Fukutoshin Subway Line from spring 2013 [ref]. Below the pictures I took in Shibuya, mostly of people in the streets.
