Shibuya in the Summer 2013

While the temperatures have cooled down a bit, its still rather hot n muggy back here in Tokyo ;-;

Today we take a look at Shibuya - home to the worlds most busiest pedestrian crossing. We visit Center-gai street, Tsutaya, Starbucks, Labi, Sega Game Center, Maruhan Pachinko, Mandarake, Village Vanguard, Dougen-zaka Street, Chiyoda Inari Shrine, Bunkamura and a few other places in the area.
To get to Shibuya, all you need to do is get off at Shibuya station.

First photo - Shibuya 109 scramble crossing where the Tokyo Dance Trooper once used to dance ^^

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Shibuya station Hachko entrance - notice the mural by the station entrance...

...and here you see the same mural back in 1996-ish. Here I sat to record the sounds of Shibuya on my mini disc recorder - I would listen to the recording which served as a motivation to help me to continue to study Japanese.

The view from the West exit.

View of the Shibuya Crossing from the 2nd floor of Starbucks.

The Hachiko statue is a popular meeting spot in the Shibuya area and loads of folks come here to wait for their friends, loved ones, "loved ones" (hanky panky partners) and business clients.

Tokyu's green retro train carriage is open to visitors so that you can rest inside on a rainy day too.

Life-size AKB48 cut outs at the Tsutaya CD/video store.

Costumes worn by the AKB members also on display.

The latest volume of Naruto - How many of you are following the story?

Folks can pick up these Miku Tcards - its like a point card for when folks rent or buy DVD's or CD's from Tsutaya.

The Shibuya LABI has a load of electronic gadgets and household appliances - check out this post for a full review.

I prefer electronic dictionaries like these rather than an app in my smart phone - will talk about why in a separate post.

Capcom's Lost Planet 3. How many of you are fans of the series?

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Uta no Prince-sama Music 2 came out on September 5th for the PSP.

Shingeki guidebook spotted.

The entrance to Shibuya Center-gai.

The Center-gai area is packed with restaurants and fashion stores - looks particularly nice at night with all the neon signs.

Fashion retailer Forever 21.

If you're looking for something more traditional, the small apparel stores in the area have got you covered.

Shisa from Okinawa.

Baskin Robbins 31 Ice Cream chain store.

How many of you familiar with Shokugeki no Soma?

Family Mart x Hatsune Miku.

ABC Mart shoe shop chain.

Club Sega game center.

Madoka Magica goodies.

Sushi keyrings.

The upper floors of the Club Sega game center is occupied by the Maruhan chain of Pachinko parlors.

Mandarake Shibuya branch - if you're planning on visiting, check out this post for more photos of the store.

Village Vanguard is another interesting variety store that has all sorts of otaku goodies.

Harenochi Twin Tail - for all twin tail fans.

Schoolgirl Complex photo albums. Pretty much borderline stuff ^^

Takara Tomy's Miku Licca doll...

Some retro nostalgic Doraemon manga.

FC Mobile - a portable retro gaming device containing 30 Famicon games. The screen is tiny but you can also hook it up to a TV.

Spotted our Otacool 2, Otacool 3 and Otacool 4 books.

Mega Takoyaki Maker - it says you can make Takoyaki the size of Dragon Balls ^^;

Become a "Kyonyu" [巨乳] instantly with these Oppai T-shirts...

Ghost in the Shell: ARISE manga.

The Sailor Moon boom starting to rev up again.

Nyuyoku Kareshi [入浴彼氏] - a moe-bath salt for the ladies or lads depending on your tastes.

Which of these lads would you like to have a bath with?

Glossary of Terms for Fujoshi.

Mini 4WD [ミニ四駆] model kits and T-shirts.

Munch.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Shibuya Cine Tower branch.

Limited summer donut menus.

Adjacent to Krispy Kream is Toho Cinemas where you can catch up with the latest flicks.

Tokyu Hands Shibuya branch.

Taking a stroll around the Dougen-zaka area.

Robot Restaurant.

Info on rental apartments around the Shibuya area. If you're thinking of moving to Japan, this post will give you a brief introduction to some of the terminology you need to know.

Sushi noms.

Hiyakake (cold) odon.

If you ever wondered what the writing on lanterns are - usually the name of the company or person who sponsored it to be hung up.
We have one in our neck of the woods named "Mirai Suenaga" ^o^

A few minutes walk from the bustling streets of Shibuya will bring you to the Chiyoda Inari Shrine [千代田稲荷神社].
View location with Google Maps

Much of Japan's fast Internet speeds are thanks to these telecommunication poles above ground - meaning that we don't need to dig to install the latest optics. Some think they are messy - I love them.