Day 8 - Shinjuku & Shibuya
Shinjuku Cross Vision
Takeshita Street
meiji shrine
Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Hachiko
Shibuya Crossing Square & Shibuya Sky
Zauo Fishing Restaurant
We mapped out an itinerary that’s suitable for departing from Shinjuku, but it can be easily modified if you’re starting from Shibuya or elsewhere. Just let Google Map help you figure out the order.
Takeshita Street and Meiji Shrine are at the same subway station (Harajuku station), they’re just on opposite sides of the station.
Shibuya Scramble Cross, Hachiko statue and Shibuya Sky (part of Shibuya Scramble Square) are all within a short walk of each other.
Cross Shinjuku Vision
A 3-d digital billboard! There is a cat that lives in this space and is ready to jump out! The billboard shows commercial videos with those of the cat intermittently, though only the cat videos seem to be 3d. It looks like the cat is jumping out or floating up!
Voyagers Tips: Google maps will lead you right to the building, where you cannot see the billboard. The best viewing angle is from diagonally across the intersection.
Takeshita Street
Takeshita Street is usually a busy and crowded pedestrian-only street lined with shops, restaurants and food stalls. It’s also known for younger crowds with more fashionable wear, so also a good spot for people watching. We visited on a rainy, stormy day with less-than-usual amount of people.
MEIJI SHRINE
Meiji Shrine is a peaceful getaway in the center of Tokyo, a stroll inside it makes you forget you’re in the center of the most populous city in the world. It reminds me of Central Park, but in a very uniquely Japanese way. The walk is scenic and peaceful and we found it to be more enjoyable than the shrine itself. Overall a must-visit in Tokyo!
Shibuya Scramble Crossing & Hachiko Statue
Shibuya Crossing is the world’s busiest crossing, with over 2.4 million people crossing it every day! You have likely seen videos of this crossing, and it’s fun to see and walk through it yourself. We visited on a rainy, stormy day, so the crowd size was somewhat reduced, but it was still interesting to see.
One great spot to take a higher aerial view of the crossing is the Starbucks on the 2nd floor of the mall by the crossing corner. It’s a crowded Starbucks but the view is worth a quick visit.
Hachico is a popular statue of a dog. There is an interesting story where the dog used to wait at the Shibuya Station every day for to greet his owner on his commute home. Even after the owner’s death, the dog still loyally showed up everyday for his owner to return home. The statue is just by the crossing and makes a nice quick stop. We didn’t feel the need to wait in line for the photo op, just snapped a quick picture for memory in between other people’s turns.
Shibuya Crossing Square & Shibuya Sky
This is one of the newer malls in Tokyo and is a short walk from Shibuya Crossing. The mall itself is nice, the food court in the basement has lots of great choices. Its main attraction is the high observation deck, which, unlike Skytree, is open air. We sampled some interesting food in the food court, but skipped out on the observation deck due to the inclement weather. Hopefully you will have better luck. Reviews say it gets crowded here though, so either look into reservations or get here early.
Zauo Fishing Restaurant
What an interesting concept! Grab a fishing stick, catch your own fish, and have the restaurant prepare it for you! Definitely a fun and unique restaurant experience, and the kids loved it. Catching the fish turned out to be quite easy, just be prepared to pay for whatever fish you catch. There are also items straight off the menu, so you can just catch one or two large fish, a few shrimps, have them prepare them for you, and add a few dishes from the menu to complete the meal.
Voyagers tips: Make reservations early, ideally a month early! This place gets booked up fast! Zauo is a chain with a few other locations as well.