Shibuya, Central Tokyo

 

Shibuya, Central Tokyo

My ticket for Shibuya Sky was for 12.20 slots and being overcautious Punekar by nature I reached Shibuya at around 10 or 10.30 AM. How to pass a time in Shibuya, question does not exist! There are blogs and blogs on YouTube how to pass time in Shibuya.

Shibuya

In olden times Shibuya was on the western skirts of Tokyo proper but as the city expanded not only did it come in the city of Tokyo proper but became integral part of its culture. Along with Shinjuku, Ginza, Roppongi, Shinagawa, Nihombashi, Asakusa, Uneo it now forms the Tokyo proper. [No Wikipedia, I had been to all these places.]

To start with, in one of the corners of Shibuya Square Scramble, there is this statue of a dog Hachiko. As the story goes, this pet animal waited for his master every day without a break at the gate of railway station for 9 years after his death. There was queue to get photographed with him. I was happy to be with him from a distance. One of the walls of Shibuya station is entirely dedicated to him with his murals all over.

Hachiko Mural

Hachiko

China has used her population to her benefits; likewise here Tokyo crowds have been made a tourist attraction. Shibuya Scramble Crossing! 6 roads cross at one point just opposite Shibuya station on its Hachiko exit and the traffic on all the roads is stopped for pedestrians to cross. At one juncture, of 2 minutes of green signal, nearly 3000 people cross the square from all the sides. It is said that it’s the busiest pedestrian crossing all over the world. If trivia are to be stretched it is said that nearly 260,000 on week days and 390,000 on weekends, pedestrians cross it in 24 hours,[Wikipedia]. To be in that melee is altogether a different experience and for that feeling alone many tourists including Firangs cross it at least more than two times. It’s nothing short of jubilation after a mega win! Though not Firang I too crossed it three times.

Shibuya is just like Time square in New York or Piccadilly in London, personal experience! With shops, shops and shops adorning ‘N’ number of neon signs, buildings and malls with hoarding in LCD or lasers, advertisements at every corner blinking in fluorescent blizzard, it’s Diwali 24 into 7  all around the year. There are so many malls around Shibuya square it’s a difficult choice. Shibuya Scramble Square is important one as it has Shibuya Sky on its terrace. Equally popular ones are 109 Shibuya, Tokyo Plaza Shibuya oh so many. Our own mall IKEA [We have it just opposite our home in Mumbai] too stands out predominantly. The one on the corner of Meiji Dori, Magnet is five storied but each floor is not more than one BHK tenement! I was in search of ‘Anime’, what else! I was told that it is available in store named ‘Mandrake’, yes the same one from our childhood comic, Mandrake the magician! It’s in the basement occupying three floors for anime franchises but for the clothes…. One small obscure corner was demarcated, with hardly few Tees hanging on the stand that too, soiled!

Shibuya’s Star-Cafe with its vantage position is another joint famous amongst youngsters for their rendezvous. I had decided not to step in any of such franchises which are available in India.

Time literally flew and it was 12 noon. And I was asked to wait for twenty minutes as my slot was at 12.20 PM! Should I say more about Japanese discipline to stick to the rules!

You have to deposit all your belongings in a locker before entering the terrace, even cap is not allowed. Only mobile or camera! You can hire a vault at Y 100, but I did not have the coin! Two Africans came to my rescue and thus I was able to enter the Shibuya Sky!

At Rs 1151[$14] it was cheaper than Tokyo tower Rs 1817 [Y 3000] also the  height is less. But its difference lies in its Openness from all the sides. It’s a big terrace having huge glass panels on all the sides giving unhampered view of central Tokyo. Shrine of Meiji Jingu is just at a walk-able distance from Shibuya station towards North and you can appreciate its greenery from the heights. The green lungs of Central Tokyo Yoyogi Park look appealing from the top. Olympic National Sports complex is easily visible and it too is nearby. View is much different than that from the Tokyo Tower because it is in central Tokyo and Tokyo Bay is far away in south.

But what catches eyes the most is, Shibuya crossing from the top. Looking at that ant like human beings crossing the zebra lines in a hurry is quite a sight! Within seconds the entire square is filled with hundreds of people from all the sides without stampede is just worth an experience for senses! The terrace has hammocks to watch the stars in the night. What can be more relaxing than lying on your back and viewing the treasure of nature without bothering about the day to day mundane life!  

There are also sofas and chairs to view Tokyo in relaxed manner. You can have entire view of Roppongi Dori traversing the city from West to East; it is like Mumbai’s eastern free way, totally elevated. I felt probably most of the burden of transport is taken up by metros, so highways hardly have vehicles; maybe it was 1 PM, off rush hour!

Roppongi Dori Avenue

Green Lungs of Tokyo

Pre/Post Wedding Photo Shoot

A professional photography session was in progress, Pre- Post wedding I don’t know but the pair was enjoying it fully by giving almost ‘Filmy’ poses under the direction of Photography team! But they were ‘Professionals’ and were carrying out their duty with No Nonsense Business at all, though onlookers were in hundreds and it did look funny! There I realized that caste, class, religion, gender or even Nationality does not matter when it comes to stupidity! Everybody is equally stupid! [Strictly my opinion!]

Vantage Point

There are some vantage points for selfies or a photograph. Photographs taken with these in the background make you float in the air! As if!

Another gimmick just like Tokyo Tower, is many mirrors at strategic points. The reflections are really funny; I too could not help the temptation of taking selfies.

Me through Mirror

Wandered up and down on escalators till it was enough, or is it really enough, I would have loved to stay till night but allotted time on ticket was over and if everybody thought alike it would be crowded in no time!

Though Shrine of Meiji Jingu was very near, I did not feel like burdening my legs and took F line to get down on station with the same name. One of the stadia of Tokyo Olympics was on the Left side. Meiji Jingu is Shinto temple dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, so really it is not temple but could be termed as Mausoleum. It is situated in densely forested area like New York’s Central Park.

Torii from Single Teak Tree

It’s really cool, unlike hustle-bustle of Senso-ji shrine in Asakusa. It’s really quiet so serene! Crowds were thin. May be because one has to really walk walk and walk to reach the shrine. The significance of massive Torii gates at this shrine is that they are made from the single teak tree.

Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of Japan who brought modernity to feudal Japan. He had good ties with the vintners from France so they still send barrels of freshly brewed wines to the shrine in his memoriam. They are stacked near the entrance for everybody to have look.

Wine Barrels

Wine Barrels

May be because it was not crowded I got related to it in no time. Tranquil, quiet, serene, pious! The sanctum sanctorum too was simple so I really felt like being near the God. Before leaving, I earnestly bowed down to the deity in the Japanese tradition.

Meiji Shrine

The forestation of the shrine mingles with the trees of Yoyogi Park which is just next to it, making it a large forested area in the central Tokyo, Green Lungs of Tokyo! Yoyogi Park. Nothing much to write home about, as it is just like any other park anywhere in the world.

Entire area is known as Harajuku and GPS showed one shop for ‘Anime’ in the market.

Takeshita Street Harajuku

Many of the tourist attractions in Tokyo I found just luckily even without trying to find them. Anime shop was on Takeshita Street of Harajuku which is a hep street for the teenagers. It turned out that not for the teenagers alone but Firangs too thronged the street in uncountable numbers! Very popular destination for the tourists which I was not aware even! ‘What a crime’, my daughter!

I visited Shinjuku along with Shibuya next day, rather in night because they are ‘Neon’ capitals of Tokyo. They are very near to each other.

Well to describe the glitter, my pen will always fall short because it is to be seen and enjoyed with senses, vocabulary is not enough. At the most it would turn out to be glossy.

Shinjuku By Night

As soon as I got out of Shinjuku station, [I by the time had learned the tricks of the trade, how to get out of the station] I was practically engulfed by the deluge of brighter than bright lights, in all colours, in all designs in all forms and shapes. Big LCD hoarding flashing newer images every time. As I had not come across the warning then, inadvertently I entered red light area of Shinjuku, Kabuchiko. It has gambling dens, brothels, shops for the sex toys and everything that’s below the belt! One guy tried to obstruct me while taking a video but I just pushed him aside and went ahead. No untoward incidence thereafter.

Kabuchiko

Like 3D car advertisement in Seoul, Cat advertisement in Shinjuku is very popular. Unfortunately format of the video is somehow always rejected by either Microsoft world or blogger spot so I am not able to put them for show.

You never feel like leaving the good show ever but something superior was waiting for me at Shibuya crossing. By this time Shibuya became like my second home in Tokyo next to Nishi Kasai, I visited it so many times!

And the view was really awe inspiring. Many more brightly illuminated hoardings than Shinjuku, many more LCD screens flashing continuously. Sparkling lights and twinkling billboards, everywhere, nothing less than Glitz, Glitter and Glamour! No, I can’t describe more than this, one has to see it to believe it!

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