Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya (渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station.

As of April 1, 2022, it has an estimated population of 228,906 and a population density of 15,149.30 people per km² (39,263.4/sq mi). The total area is 15.11 km² (5.83 sq mi).

The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station. This area is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area.

History

Heian to Edo period

Shibuya was historically the site of a castle in which the Shibuya family resided from the 11th century through the Edo period. Following the opening of the Yamanote Line in 1885, Shibuya began to emerge as a railway terminal for southwestern Tokyo and eventually as a major commercial and entertainment center.

Meiji to Showa period

The village of Shibuya was incorporated in 1889 by the merger of the villages of Kami-Shibuya, Naka-Shibuya and Shimo-Shibuya within Minami-Toshima County (Toyotama County from 1896). The village covered the territory of modern-day Shibuya Station area as well as the Hiroo, Daikanyama, Aoyama, and Ebisu areas. Shibuya became a town in 1909. The town of Shibuya merged with the neighboring towns of Sendagaya (which included the modern Sendagaya, Harajuku and Jingumae areas) and Yoyohata (which included the modern Yoyogi and Hatagaya areas) to form Shibuya-ku suburban ward upon being absorbed into Tokyo City in 1932. Shibuya became an urban special ward under the Local Autonomy Act in 1947.

The Tokyu Toyoko Line opened in 1932, making Shibuya a key terminal between Tokyo and Yokohama, and was joined by the forerunner of the Keio Inokashira Line in 1933 and the forerunner of the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line in 1938. One of the best-known stories concerning Shibuya is the story of Hachikō, a dog who waited on his late master at Shibuya Station every day from 1923 to 1935, eventually becoming a national celebrity for his loyalty. A statue of Hachikō was built adjacent to the station, and the surrounding Hachikō Square is now the most popular meeting point in the area.

Post-War Showa

During the occupation of Japan, Yoyogi Park was used as a housing compound for U.S. personnel known as "Washington Heights." The U.S. military left in 1964, and much of the park was repurposed as venues for the 1964 Summer Olympics. The ward itself served as part of the athletics 50 km walk and marathon course during the 1964 games.

Shibuya has achieved great popularity among young people since the late 70s. There are several famous fashion department stores in Shibuya. Shibuya 109 is a major shopping center near Shibuya Station, particularly famous as the origin of the '' kogal'' subculture. Called "Ichi-Maru-kyū," which translates as 1–0–9 in Japanese, the name is actually a pun on that of the corporation that owns it — Tōkyū (which sounds like 10–9 in Japanese; this is numerical substitution, a form of goroawase wordplay). The contemporary fashion scene in Shibuya extends northward from Shibuya Station to Harajuku, where youth culture reigns; Omotesandō, the zelkova tree- and fashion brand-lined street; and Sendagaya, Tokyo's apparel design district.

Heisei period

In 1985, Teamer created a new culture in Shibuya.
During the mid 90s, Shibuya also became known as the center of the IT industry in Japan. It was often called "Bit Valley" in English, a pun on both "Bitter Valley", the literal translation of "Shibuya", as well as bit, the computer term for binary digits.

Shibuya Stream, a skyscraper and retail complex, was completed in 2018.

Reiwa period

The East Wing of a mixed-used skyscraper Shibuya Scramble Square was completed in August 2019. Shibuya's new gateway Shibuya Fukuras was completed in October 2019.

2019 New Year's Day vehicle attack

During the early morning of January 1, 2019, a 21-year-old man named Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove his minicar into a crowd of pedestrians celebrating New Year's Day on Takeshita Street. The man claimed his actions were a terrorist attack, and later stated that his intention was to retaliate against the usage of the death penalty for Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult members. The man attempted to flee but was soon apprehended by authorities in a nearby park.

Miyashita Park has reopened in July 2020 as a shopping complex with a rooftop park.

Geography

Shibuya includes many well-known commercial and residential districts such as Daikanyama, Ebisu, Harajuku, Hiroo, Higashi, Omotesandō, Sendagaya, and Yoyogi.

Districts

* Hatagaya Area:
** Sasazuka, Hatagaya, Honmachi
* Yoyogi Area:
** Uehara, Ōyamachō, Nishihara, Hatsudai, Motoyoyogichō, Tomigaya, Yoyogikamizonochō
* Sendagaya Area:
** Sendagaya, Jingūmae
* Ebisu-Ōmukai Area:
** Kamiyamachō, Jinnan, Udagawachō, Shōtō, Shinsenchō, Maruyamachō, Dōgenzaka, Nanpeidaichō, Sakuragaokachō, Hachiyamachō, Uguisudanichō, Sarugakuchō, Daikan'yamachō, Ebisunishi, Ebisuminami
* Hikawa-Shimbashi Area:
** Shibuya, Higashi, Ebisu, Hiroo

Politics and government

Shibuya is run by a city assembly of 34 elected members. The mayor is Ken Hasebe, an independent.

Elections

* 2003 Shibuya mayoral election

The same-sex partnership certificate

In 2015, as the council passed "Ordinance for Promoting Respect of Gender Equality and Diversity in the Ward", Shibuya Ward became the first Japanese municipality that issues same-sex partnership certificates.. According to this ordinance, same-sex couples who live in Shibuya are allowed "to rent apartments together, and have gained hospital visitation rights as family members". The ordinance was intended to bring three benefits to same-sex couples: "(1) rental housing within the ward (co-signing of tenancy agreements for municipal/public housing), (2) medical institutions within the ward (hospital visitation and medical decision-making rights as family members), and (3) employment conditions within the ward (e.g. family benefits, congratulations and condolence leave)". In order to apply for the certificate, couples must be 20-years-old or older residents of Shibuya Ward and have to state that "their relationship is based on love and mutual trust" in a notarized document. Koyuki Higashi (a former member of the Takarazuka Revue) and Hiroko Masuhara (an entrepreneur), a lesbian couple, were the first to receive this certification. Since the Shibuya Ward passed the ordinance, seven other municipalities in Japan have begun offering similar certificates.

The BBC notes that the ordinance has little binding legal force, saying it "amounts to a moral obligation on Shibuya businesses, which will not be penalised if they do not recognise the certificate", though their names will be posted on the ward's website if they violate the ordinance. Shimizu says the system "is not equivalent to marriage, as it does not accord same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to inheritance, joint filing of taxes, or social welfare". As it requires at least a hundred thousand yen to apply for the certificate, it can be restrictive to some couples. Shimizu argues that Shibuya Ward has been criticized for pinkwashing as "while passing this ordinance, the administration also moved to expel the homeless in Miyashita Park and other parks in the ward". Pointing out that the mayor of Shibuya Ward in an interview stated that this is not a matter of human rights, but of diversity, Yuri Horie claimed that the term of diversity seems to be used to divide citizens into the good and the bad; it raises only the ones who contribute to the consumeristic society as representer of "diversity of sexuality" while excluding the useless ones. Yuki Tsuchiya, a lesbian activist, also argues that LGBT individuals are used to promote the ward.

Sightseeing and historic sites

Shibuya is famous for its scramble crossing, called Shibuya Crossing. 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. Shibuya Crossing is the "world’s busiest pedestrian crossing", with upwards 3,000 people at a time. The statue of Hachikō, a dog, between the station and the intersection, is a common meeting place and almost always crowded.

On the southwest side of Shibuya station, there is another popular meeting place with a statue called "Moyai". The statue resembles a Moai statue, and it was given to Shibuya by the people of Niijima Island in 1980.

Green areas

* Meiji Shrine, Shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, surrounded by a 700,000-square-meter forest.
* Shinjuku Gyo-en (Sendagaya), former Imperial gardens now open to the public as a park.
* Yoyogi Park, once a training base for the Imperial Japanese Army, later the Washington Heights housing area for the Occupation of Japan, then the lodgings for contestants in the Tokyo Olympics.

Buildings

* Shibuya 109, a popular and trendy place for mostly Japanese young women to shop.
* United Nations University
* Bunkamura, theatre and concert hall complex
* Cerulean Tower, the tallest building in the Shibuya Station area
* Yebisu Garden Place (Ebisu), site of the former Sapporo Brewery, now featuring restaurants and shopping, along with the Westin Hotel
* National Noh Theatre (Sendagaya)
* New National Theatre (Hatsudai), site of opera, ballet, and other performances
* NHK Broadcasting Center, headquarters of the NHK radio, television, and satellite broadcasting system
* NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building, the fourth-tallest building in Tokyo, patterned after the Empire State Building
* Omotesandō Hills, a shopping mall completed in 2006
* Shibuya Fukuras
* Shibuya Hikarie
* Shibuya Scramble Square
* Shinjuku Southern Terrace (Sendagaya)
* Takashimaya Times Square (Sendagaya), one of the largest department stores in Japan
* Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Sendagaya), a major indoor arena complex
* Tokyo Baptist Church
* Tokyo Camii, the largest mosque in Japan
* Yoyogi National Gymnasium, designed for the 1964 Olympics by Kenzo Tange.

Streets and places

* Aoyama Dōri, a major east–west thoroughfare
* Center Gai
* Dōgen-zaka, a road in central Shibuya famous for its surrounding nightclubs and love hotels
* Komazawa Dōri – running past Daikanyama, down the hill to Ebisu, crossing Meiji Dōri and up the hill through Higashi and Hiroo. The road stops at the Shuto Expressway in Minami Aoyama. Famed for its beautiful trees that turn bright yellow in autumn, cafes, restaurants, and a large replica of Michelangelo's David outside of the Papas building. Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi have their official residence in a palace in large gardens off Komazawadori in Higashi.
* Kōen Street, in central Shibuya between Shibuya Station and Yoyogi Park.
* Meiji Dōri, a major north–south thoroughfare parallel to the Yamanote Line.
* Miyamasu-zaka
* Nonbei-Yokocho, a small street near the rail tracks famous for its small bars and old Tokyo feel.
* Omotesandō, an avenue leading up to the Meiji Shrine with a number of famous-brand boutiques
* Spain-zaka
* Takeshita Street, a shopping street through Harajuku
* Yamanote Street
* Shibuya
* Ebisu
* Harajuku
* Hiroo
* Sendagaya
* Yoyogi

Transportation

Rail

The main station in Shibuya is Shibuya Station. The southern half of Shinjuku Station, including the New South Entrance, is located in Shibuya.
*JR East
** Yamanote Line: Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu stations
** Chūō Line (Rapid), Chūō-Sōbu Line: Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Sendagaya stations
**Saikyō Line, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ebisu stations
* Tokyo Metro
** Ginza Line: Shibuya station
** Marunouchi Line: Shinjuku station
**Hibiya Line: Ebisu station
**Chiyoda Line