Any visit to Tokyo wouldn’t be complete without stopping by Shibuya. Join us in this Shibuya Travel Guide as we cross the Shibuya Scramble to visit unique food and shops.

Shibuya Crossing - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

We often get asked by friends and readers on Japan travel tips and itineraries so we try our best to share our Japan experiences on the blog. However, one city we didn’t have much travel content on was Tokyo. Why? Since Nami’s family only lives 7 miles (15 km) from Tokyo and 15 miles (23 km) to Shibuya, it never seemed like a “Japan travel destination” for us.

As we get repeated request for Tokyo travel guide, we spent 6 days this past summer in Tokyo exploring different wards, activities to do, places to visit and eat. This is just the beginning of our Tokyo travel guide and we’ll continue adding to these posts as we explore new adventure and experiences. We hope you will enjoy traveling throughout Tokyo with our family.

The reality is that it’s impossible to finish exploring Tokyo in 6 days, or even possibly a month. There are simply way too many options for dining, sightseeing, and entertainment! This is our first effort to share Tokyo with you and we hope you’ll enjoy our journey. There is something for everyone in Tokyo so pick and choose what your heart desires when you visit.

For the Tokyo travel guide series, we’ll share the following posts:

  1. Shinjuku 新宿
  2. Meiji Jingu 明治神宮
  3. Harajuku and Omotesando 原宿・表参道
  4. Shibuya 渋谷
  5. Roppongi 六本木ヒルズ
  6. Tokyo Tower (update) 東京タワー
  7. Ginza 銀座
  8. Imperial East Garden 皇居東御苑
  9. Akihabara 秋葉原
  10. Ueno 上野
  11. Kappabashi かっぱ橋道具街
  12. Tokyo Dome City 東京ドームシティー
  13. Asakusa (update) 浅草
  14. Tokyo Sky Tree (update) 東京スカイツリー
  15. Odaiba お台場

You might notice there are many areas/wards/stations we missed in Tokyo from the above list, like Tokyo Station. It’s because we simply ran out of time to cover and will add it in a future trip. If you have any specific requests, please comment below and we’ll try to add it to our future itineraries.

Shibuya Travel Guide

Shibuya-ku (渋谷区) or Shibuya Ward actually covers a large area extending from Ebisu Station to the southern part of Shinjuku Station. The previous posts we shared on Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Omotesando are all actually in Shibuya-ku. For this post, we’ll share our experience in the area immediately around Shibuya Station.

Google Maps Shibuya Station
Click to enlarge map.

Shibuya Crossing 渋谷交差点 – Shibuya Travel Guide

There are many iconic images of Tokyo, including Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Shinkansen trains, and the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Among these images, one of the best-known Tokyo location and featured in many movies and countless photographs is the Shibuya Crossing.

Shibuya crossing - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Shibuya crossing on a weekday at 3pm.

Shibuya crossing is located at the Hachiko statue (ハチ公) subway exit. When the traffic lights turn red, car traffic is stopped in all directions for the pedestrian to scramble through. It is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world and really fun to be a part of.

Shibuya stores - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Shibuya Station.

Hachiko Statue at Shibuya 忠犬ハチ公

Hachikō (November 10, 1923 – March 8, 1935) was an Akita Inu and is known as chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公) “faithful dog Hachikō” in Japanese.

Just One Cookbook child in front of hachiko statue - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Hachiko Statue at Shibuya Station.

Hachiko is remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years at Shibuya Station following his death. He continues to be remembered in worldwide popular culture, with statues, movies, books, and appearances in various media.

Center Gai Shibuya センター街

From Shibuya Station, once you make it through the crossing to the Starbucks side (fun fact, it’s the highest grossing Starbucks in the world), you’ll end up at Center Gai. Center Gai is filled with all sorts of shops, from cosmetics, accessories, street food, 24-hr comic cafes, to virtual reality arcades.

ITS'DEMO accessories store - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
ITS’DEMO cosmetics store in Shibuya.

Minnie Mouse cosmetics - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Center Gai is alive and popping throughout the day and night, besides the massive crowds at all hours of the day, the energy is intensified with the latest music and advertisements blasting on the street.

Shibuya retail stores - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Center Gai Shibuya.

A popular food stand in Shibuya is Kin no Torikara 金のとりから- fried chicken skewers. You can enjoy it with 9 different kinds of sauces. It’s pretty good but skip if you are short on time.

Kin-No-Torikara chicken skewers - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Kin no Tori Kara food stand Shibuya.

sauces at Kin-No-Torikara chicken skewers - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Kin-No-Torikara chicken skewers - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

24 hour comic tea shop - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
24-hr comic cafe.
Bershka Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Bershka Shibuya.
VR Park Tokyo Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
VR (virtual reality) Park Tokyo Shibuya.

Tokyu Hands Shibuya 東急ハンズ

There are many activities to do in Shibuya. Besides the countless dining choices, there is clubbing, game centers, and of course shopping, as it’s known to be one of the leading fashion hubs in Japan. Many of the stores in Shibuya carry unique lifestyle products but if you want to see them all in one place, there’s probably no better store to visit than Tokyu Hands.

Shibuya Tokyu Hands product category floor guide - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Tokyu Hands floor guide.

It’s difficult to describe Tokyu Hands as there is no store quite like it in the US. The Shibuya megastore location has over 20 floors of merchandises which some are very unique and will surprise you.

skeleton miniatures at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Miniature skeleton sitting at an Oden stand for your miniature world.
Tokyu Hands Hint Pit - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Animal papercraft, just because.
Studio Ghibli paper cutout at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Studio Ghibli paper cutout.
pen section at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Need penils or pens?

Besides random collectible and hobby goods, Tokyu Hands is a great place to shop for Japanese kitchen products, such as deep fry pots, otoshibuta, etc.

deep fry pots at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Japanese specialty deep fry pots with a thermometer.
otoshibuta drop lid
Otoshibuta (drop lid).
tamagoyaki pans at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Tamagoyaki pan.
Japanese pots at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Yukihira nabe.

If you want to make your own Nagashi Somen (流しそうめん) at home, they sell a special machine for that too. For Somen recipe, please click here.

nagashi somen machine at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

The steps in Tokyo Hands tell you how many calories you’ve burned walking up and down its floors.

steps counting calories at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Looking for some pet fish, no worries, Tokyu Hands has them. Located not far from the Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit.

pet fish at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Star Wards Droid Inventor Kit at Tokyu Hands - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit.

Besides Tokyu Hands or similar store Loft, there are hundreds if not thousands of other stores all around Shibuya Station to browse and shop at.

Shibuya Chelsea Hotel - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

HULIC&New SHIBUYA - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
HULIC&New SHIBUYA.
Labi Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
LABI electronics store.
SHIBUYA109 - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Legendary 109 Shopping Center.
TOHO Cinemas Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Catch a movie at Toho Theater Shibuya.
Tokyu Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Tokyu Shopping Center and Shibuya Station.

After roaming around Shibuya, our children got really hungry and we decided to eat a meal served on Mt. Fuji’s lava rocks.

beef sushi being seared at Bonbori Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Bonbori – Click to read about our meal served on Mt. Fuji’s lava rocks.

Shibuya Hikarie 渋谷ヒカリエ

One of the newer mix-use building in Shibuya is Hikarie, which is the home to shops, restaurants, offices, and Tokyu Theater Orb.

Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

You can catch an amazing view of Shibuya from the 9th floor of Hikarie.

Shibuya Crossing at night - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

view of Shibuya from Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

After taking in the night view, there are 3D models of Shibuya on display on the same floor, a large realistic one with all the details and also one made of Legos.

3D model of Shibuya at Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
3D model of Shibuya.
Lego model of Shibuya at Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
3D Lego Shibuya.

Just One Cookbook children at Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

On the B2 floor of Hikarie, you’ll find many food stalls including chocolatiers and LE PAIN de Joel Robuchon.

Pierre Marcolini - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
Pierre Marcolini.
LE CHOCOLAT DE H Paul Bassett Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
LE CHOCOLAT DE H Paul Bassett Shibuya Hikarie.

Cake Au Dassai LE CHOCOLAT DE H Paul Bassett Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

LE PAIN de Joël Robuchon Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com
LE PAIN de Joël Robuchon Shibuya.

LE PAIN de Joël Robuchon Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Besides western pastry and dessert shops, there are plenty of booths that sells traditional Japanese foods and gifts.

tsukijinagata store Shibuya Hikarie - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Besides the B2 food stalls, there are restaurants on almost every floor inside Hikarie.

Hikarie Shibuya Restaurant Choices - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Last but not the least, we want to share with you one of our favorite sushi restaurants in Shibuya – Sushi no Midori すしの美登利. It has been in Shibuya Mark City for a long time and even talked about in Tokyo Guidebooks. The sushi at this restaurant is very reasonably priced and good quality. Just go early as sometimes the line could be almost 2 hours long.

Umegaoka Sushi no Midori Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

Umegaoka Sushi no Midori Shibuya - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

We spent about 5 hours around Shibuya Station and could have easily spent days there. If you are looking for unique Japanese goods, fun time shopping, entertainment and abundant dining choices, it’s difficult to find a better place.

Shibuya crossing at night - Tokyo Shibuya Travel Guide | www.justonecookbook.com

We hope you enjoyed the Shibuya Travel Guide, if there are any spots you love in Shibuya and we missed please mention it in the comments below. For more Japan travel guide click here and we’ll see you from the top of the Mori Building in part 5, Roppongi Hills.

Check out other Tokyo travel guide series:

  1. Shinjuku 新宿
  2. Meiji Jingu 明治神宮
  3. Harajuku and Omotesando 原宿・表参道
  4. Shibuya 渋谷
  5. Roppongi 六本木ヒルズ
  6. Tokyo Tower (update) 東京タワー
  7. Ginza 銀座
  8. Imperial East Garden 皇居東御苑
  9. Akihabara 秋葉原
  10. Ueno 上野
  11. Kappabashi かっぱ橋道具街
  12. Tokyo Dome City 東京ドームシティー
  13. Asakusa (update) 浅草
  14. Tokyo Sky Tree (update) 東京スカイツリー
  15. Odaiba お台場

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JOC Goods, our new online shop, offering Japanese tableware and kitchenware, is now open. It is a natural extension of Just One Cookbook’s mission to teach home cooks how to prepare and enjoy delicious Japanese meals. We believe that beautifully plated food can bring joy and happiness to people’s lives.

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Just went to Shibuya Hikarie a few weeks ago. The views from 9 & 11 floors are amazing. The models have moved up to the 11th floor. They just had the lego model. The elevators are a little confusing as not elevators stop on all floors, so pay attention to which one you get into.

Hi! I’m going to Shibuya for my 5 hour layover. Do you have any traditional/local Japanese bakeries that you recommend?

I have not been back to Japanese since 1941 and I often wanted to go back again. Your blog got me all excited. My next trip will be Japan. Thank you for excellent travel guide

My family and I really want to travel to Japan so I love reading your in depth travel guide series in addition to the your recipes. It would be awesome if you could also recommend places to try some of the local cuisine.

Hello! Love your recipes! I used to live in Shibuya, so this was near and dea to my heart.

If you have the opportunity to visit and blog about Kichijoji, it was one of the most entertaining places I found. the zoo, the boats, the walk through the park, all the shopping as well as the maze of shopping opposite the park.

Thank you again!

Angela Long

Thanks again for the blog will be going next year and will be on our list.
TERRY