Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya, Tokyo’s shopping district, is also home to one of Tokyo’s busiest railway stations and happening nightlife.

This ward alone is home to 221,801, and is a popular meeting place for Tokyo’s youth.

But for tourists, one feature of Shibuya stands above the rest, and that is Shibuya Crossing.

Shibuya crossing is right outside of Shibuya station and not that hard to find, just look for the people queuing up.

Then you wait for the magic. All at once traffic stops and the familiar chips of the crosswalk notification stating it is clear to cross.

 

And then the chaos breaks out. Crosswalk lines matter not as people from every direction spill into the intersection, it is worth crossing through at least once.

And as quickly as it happens, it is all over, and the cars start again.

It is important to not only experience it yourself, but worth heading over to a nearby business to get a birds-eye view.

We recommend heading over to the Starbucks and grabbing a coffee before heading up to the second story to watch the action.  But like many exciting attractions in Tokyo, expect it to be packed.

There is something majestic about watching everyone queue up before they spill into the streets. It only takes a few minutes to experience, but worth the trip as there are plenty of other great things to do in Shibuya, including Meiji Shrine, visiting Hachiko, and an amazing souvenir place called Oriental Bazaar where you can pick up plus size yukatas.