Shibuya Scramble Crossing

, commonly known as Shibuya Crossing, is a popular pedestrian scramble crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located in front of the Shibuya Station Hachikō exit and stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. The statue of Hachikō, between the station and the intersection, is a common meeting place, which is almost always crowded.

Three large video screens mounted on nearby buildings overlook the crossing such as the landmark QFRONT, as well as many static advertising signs. Given its heavy traffic and amount of advertising, it is compared to Times Square in New York City.

Shibuya Crossing is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, with as many as 3,000 people crossing at a time. Tokyo-based architecture professor Shane Flynn said Shibuya Crossing is "a great example of what Tokyo does best when it's not trying".

Foot traffic

This intersection is frequently recognized as "the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world" with almost no loss of foot traffic at midnight or early morning. Road traffic jams rarely occur, even during rush hours. According to the Shibuya Center Street in 2016, the number of pedestrians crossing the intersection was as much as 3,000 per green light (every 2 minutes). A 2014 flow measurement survey by the Shibuya Redevelopment Association estimated 260,000 pedestrians per day on week days, and 390,000 pedestrians on non-working days. Others estimate as much as 500,000 people on the busiest days. The 2012 SOTO Outdoor Media Survey estimated 1.5 million pedestrians per week.

History

The crossing was inaugurated in 1973. It was featured in the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony to promote the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Since the late 2010s it has become a popular place for young people to gather at Halloween, some in cosplay. Increasingly large and chaotic crowds led to Shibuya Ward adopting an ordinance in 2019 banning public alcohol consumption in the area around during periods at the end of October (Halloween) and December (New Year's Eve).

In 2023, citing issues with litter, altercations, and property damage caused by overtourism and large, unruly crowds (especially after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and in the wake of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush in 2022), Shibuya Ward officials announced that it would strongly enforce measures to discourage parties on the crossing during the Halloween period, including asking residents and tourists to not gather for Halloween, traffic restrictions, and enhanced security measures to enforce the alcohol ban. Stores in the area were also requested to not sell alcohol, and some businesses closed sooner than usual.

Shibuya Crossing has also suspended New Year's Eve celebrations since 2020–21 due to safety and security issues; in 2023, alcohol consumption was restricted from 6 p.m. on 31 December to 5 a.m. on 1 January, and stores were requested to not sell alcohol during this timeframe. In addition, all video billboards were turned off at 11 p.m. rather than 12 a.m. as usual. In June 2024, an ordinance was passed to extend the public drinking ban year-round from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly.

Cultural depictions and media usage

Shibuya Crossing is often featured in films and television shows which take place in Tokyo, such as ''Lost in Translation'', '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Alice in Borderland, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Resident Evil: Afterlife, Sonic The Hedgehog 3'', as well as on domestic and international news broadcasts. The iconic video screen featured in the above films, in particular ''Lost in Translation'' with its 'walking dinosaur' scene, was taken down for a period of time and replaced with static advertising, although it resumed operation in July 2013.

Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers featured the area prominently in the music video for the song " Motorcycle Emptiness" from the album 'Generation Terrorists' in 1992. The single peaked at number 17 in the UK singles chart and was later certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 200,000 copies.

Contemporary British painter Carl Randall (who spent 10 years living in Tokyo as an artist) depicted the area in his large artwork ''Shibuya'', exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London 2013.

References

External links

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Hachikō
Pedestrian crossings
Shibuya
Tourist attractions in Tokyo