50 Things to Do in Shibuya
Shibuya is a neighborhood where young people gather. At Shibuya's famous Scramble Crossing, you can feel the strong energy that overflows from the area's fashion shops, clubs, and restaurants. Here are 50 spots that travelers to Shibuya should definitely check out.
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21. Tokyo Info Cultural Exchange Party [Activity]
Want to make friends in Shibuya, but is too shy to stop people on the street? This is the party for you! Tokyo Cultural Exchange Party is a networking party that's had a very long history in Japan. As of March 2015, it's held once a month on a Saturday in Shibuya.
English website: http://www.tokyoparty.org/party.php?p=tokyointernationalparty&lang=en
22. Japanese Cooking Class [Activity]
japanesecookingclassatshibuya.strikingly.com
This is a class where you can learn how to cook Japanese food in English. You can come alone, or in a group of up to 8 people. It's also rather affordable! A 2000 yen participation fee gets you a 2-3 hours long class. Wouldn't you want one of your travel memories to be learning how to cook from the handsome chef Masaya-sensei? It's also good to learn how to properly serve Japanese food!
Website: http://japanesecookingclassatshibuya.strikingly.com/
23. Hapi Neko [Food & Drink] [Activity]
This is a cat café on Dogenzaka. There are about 15 cats on rotation waiting for you to come play with them! The café has large windows where you can gaze upon the tree-lined roads while petting a cat. There are also table seats, sofa seats, tatami areas, etc that makes it feel like a large living room. If you get tired of being surrounded by people, how about being healed by having tea time with the cats?
Website: http://hapineko.com/
24. Shibuya-ku Fureai Botanical Center
This botanical garden holds a firefly viewing event at the end of June every year. At that time, if you go in the evening, the entrance fee is waived. There are several hundred fireflies on the grounds, and you can enjoy the whimsical world created by their light. In the Green Garden on the first floor there are over 200 kinds of plants to check out, including tropical plants such as banana and baobab trees, carnivorous plants, succulents, and more.
Website: http://www.botanical-fureai.com/index.html
25. Tokyo Wondersite Shibuya [Arts]
This is on the first floor of the building diagonally across from Parco on Koen-dori. They support and promote public exhibitions for young artists, exhibits of creators participating in their residence program, etc. If you're tired of the hustle and bustle of Shibuya, you can go here to cool down with some modern art. No entrance fee.
Website: http://www.tokyo-ws.org/shibuya/
26. PARCO [Shopping]
Onitsuka Tiger, Baobao Issey Miyake, Pocket Comme de Garcons, and other brands are gathered in this 3-floor building that is the symbol of Koen-doori. You can find whatever you're looking for here.
Website: http://shibuya.parco.jp/
*This place closed down in August, 2016.
27. Shibuya 109 [Shopping]
If you want to dress in Shibuya fashion, you must go to 109! It's full of stores carrying adorable, sparkling goods that will excite girls. If you don't know what to buy, you can ask the popular, charismatic shopkeepers for recommendations and tips on how to style an item. You too can get dressed in the cute Shibuya style!
English website: http://www.shibuya109.jp/en/
28. Tokyu Hands [Shopping ]
Did your suitcase break? If so, go here. Travel goods are at the entrance, but you can also buy daily necessities, DIY items, interesting Japanese party goods, and lots more. The very bottom floor has plastic and wood models of all kinds. They sell many items that are made to be both useful and attractive in design.
Englsih website: http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/foreign.html
29. LOFT [Shopping]
While the items here seem similar to those sold in Tokyu Hands, LOFT is more of a fashionable goods store. You can find plenty of stylish interior design goods like sofas and curtains as well as yurukyara goods and even bath goods. It's connected to both Muji and the Seibu department store, making shopping in all three quite convenient.
Website: http://www.loft.co.jp/shop_list/detail.php?shop_id=189
30. Don Quijote Shibuya [Shopping]
Out of 10,000,000 visitors to Japan, 5,000,000 of them visit Don Quijote. It's a discount store where you can buy all sorts of goods, including cell phone accessories, daily necessities, food items, watches, etc. They also have a ton of cosplay items for sale. If you want to buy items for excellent prices, go to Donki! It's also really useful as a meeting place because of the conspicuous sign.
English website: http://www.donki.com/search/shop_detail_en.php?st_store_id=21
31. Uniqlo [Shopping]
This store reaches almost 2000 square meters of shopping space, and is the biggest store in the center of Tokyo. It's directly connected to Shibuya Station's Den-en-toshi Line in the basement. One of Uniqlo's best points is that you can buy clothing for the entire family in one trip, from grandparents to babies. Uniqlo's mission is to make clothing that anyone can wear for a nice casual look.
Website: http://fr.mapion.co.jp/map/
32. 100 Yen Shop [Shopping]
While Shibuya is full of 100 yen shops (108 yen with tax), the CanDo in Center-gai is full of cute goods recommended for girls. In the same Center-gai, a two-floor Daiso opened in March 2015!
Can★Do English website: http://www.cando-web.co.jp/e/store_shibuya.html
Daiso English website: http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/shop/index.php?prc=detail&sid=8931
33. CLUB KT SHIBUYA -SHIBUYA 109 [Shopping]
This music, fashion and character store was created by Sanrio to target the teens. They have about 1,000 items for all sorts of characters, including Hello Kitty. They have a DJ booth set up in-store with all the equipment and huge monitors and sometimes hold live DJ events!
English website: www.sanrio.co.jp/english/store/sh6352100/
34. Shibuya Maruara Watanabe [Shopping]
Originally, this was a dry-goods store that opened in 1926. Now they sell kimono, geta, Japanese-patterned T-shirts, folding fans, and other Japanese-style goods. It's a select shop where the owner picks goods that they think foreign tourists will enjoy, so it's a fun miscellaneous store with even items like a fake kimono that is easy to put on. They also have a display of souvenirs from overseas (not for sale).
Website: http://www.maruara.com/original19.html
35. Ginza Kikunoya -Shibuya Tokyu Toyoko Norengai [Shopping]
This is a Japanese confectionery shops that originally opened in Ginza, near the Kabukiza theater, in 1890. In the late Taisho period, they created the teatime sweet called "fukiyose" that is still one of their best-sellers and is one of their registered trademarks. At the Shibuya Norengai store, you can buy fukiyose that comes with a limited edition Hachiko pin.
Website: http://www.tokyu-dept.co.jp.e.fa.hc.transer.com/toyoko/shop/detail.html/?shopcode=GINZAKIKUNOYA
36. One Piece Mugiwara Store [Shopping]
This is the official shop for the popular manga One Piece about Luffy, a boy who wants to become a pirate. You can get pins, clear files, panel clocks, ramen, cookies, tumblers, and lots of other goods here. Become the pirate king!
English website: http://www.mugiwara-store.com/access
37. Lammfromm
This is an art miscellaneous goods store that sells goods designed by the internationally renowned Japanese modern artists, Yoshitomo Nara and Yayoi Kusama. Their colorful, cute works will cheer you up just by looking at them. It's near the entrance to the 2nd floor to the Hikarie department store, so it's very easy to find.
English website: http://www.lammfromm.jp/?page_id=181#eng
*Edit: This Shibuya store has closed for business as of August, 2015
38. Nonbei Yokocho [Food & Drink]
Pass through the gates from the Hachiko exit towards Miyamasuzaka, then head to the left and you'll see an alley with red lanterns and building facades with traces of the Showa era. You can drink here while talking with the bar owners and customers. Even if it is your first time, it will make you feel like you've been visiting there regularly. This alleyway is full of stores that are cheap, delicious, and full of kind people.
39. Umegaoka Sushi no Midori [Food & Drink]
Every day, this sushi restaurant opens to a long line of people waiting, both Japanese people and foreigners alike. The reason for the line is both the flavor and the price! Even if you eat until you're full, you'll only end up paying around 2500 yen for a lip-smacking fresh, delicious meal. If you go on weekends or holidays between 3-5 pm, it seems like there's a relatively open number of seats available!
40. Uobei -Shibuya Dogenzaka [Food & Drink]
This is a recommended restaurant for people who just want to eat sushi. Since everyone is used to conveyor belt sushi (kaitenzushi) by now, Uobei uses touchpanels to take your order and it comes to you quickly on a high-speed railway. It looks exactly like a restaurant out of a movie about the future. If you're on Dogenzaka, there's a small alley across from the Mos Burger, and that's where Uobei sits. Since there are many more foreign tourists here than Japanese people, be prepared to line up.
Website: http://www.genkisushi.co.jp/search/map.php?id=232
Next： No.41-50 Further exciting spots and activities in Shibuya
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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