Shibuya - Tokyo -> any places to recommend?

Archaeos

Member
I will be travelling to and residing in the Shibuya quarter of Tokyo for the next week. Any places fellow Raveners can recommend? Food? Drinks? Shops? Sightseeing? I am open to all suggestions.
THX, -Archaeos
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Archaeos said:
I will be travelling to and residing in the Shibuya quarter of Tokyo for the next week. Any places fellow Raveners can recommend? Food? Drinks? Shops? Sightseeing? I am open to all suggestions.
THX, -Archaeos

Ever scene the film Lost in Translation?

"Lost in Translation" was almost entirely shot in Tokyo's two loudest and most colorful districts, Shinjuku and Shibuya.

...

Many other scenes of the movie were shot in Shibuya, a youthful entertainment district three stations south of Shinjuku on the Yamanote Line. They include the pictures of the busy intersection in front of Shibuya Station's Hachiko Exit, which gets periodically stormed by huge crowds of pedestrians and is surrounded by large and noisy advertising screens.

Bob, Charlotte and their friends are enjoying karaoke at the Shibuya branch of Karaoke-kan (30-8 Utagawacho), less than five minutes from Shibuya Station by foot. Also found around Shibuya is the sushi restaurant Ichikan (9-5 Daikanyama), where Bob and Charlotte once dine.

http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0003.html


tokyo_shibuya_tout_b.jpg


It would be a shame to come to Tokyo and not take a walk across the famous intersection outside Shibuya Station. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings, the surrounding area is packed with shoppers, students, young couples and commuters. When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides, like marbles spilling out of a box. You can observe this moment of organized chaos from the second-story window of the Starbucks in the Tsutaya building on the crossing's north side.

After experiencing the "scramble," follow the trendy teens into Shibuya 109, a big shiny mall with more than 100 boutiques, for a look at the latest in disposable fashion. Or duck back into Shibuya Station and down to the bustling Tokyu Food Show for an elegant array of gourmet eats and an education in local tastes: grilled eel, fried pork, tiny fish salad, octopus on a stick, seafood-and-rice seaweed wraps and much more. The prepared dishes and grocery items are all sold from immaculate counters amid a chorus of "Irashaimasen!" ("Welcome!"). There are aisles full of beautifully packaged treats ? rice crackers, mochi cakes, jellied confections ? but the pickle counter is my favorite.


http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1897812_1897772_1897742,00.html
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
My favorite response to these types of questions: So what do you like to do? I could put out a few suggestions, but I would rather be able to tailor them somewhat. For example, like sushi? Call the concierge of your hotel now (and I mean now) and have him attempt to get reservations @ Sukyibashi Jiro. Want to pay to pet a cat? Feel up potential jailbait?

Though, I should probably state the obvious: Disney TokyoSea. You should want to ride The Temple of the Crystal Skull.

The next big sumo event begins in March. You might be able to find something small in the meantime.

Places I've enjoyed: These Library Lounge, Peter: The Bar @ the Peninsula Tokyo, the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Le Baron, the Old Imperial Lounge in the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Tsukumo Ramen (try the cheese ramen), Menya Musashi, any of the arcades in Akihabara, and the three story Hello Kitty store in Osaka! Morning Glory (aka Blue Bear) is a Korean import. I'd also stop in at the Sony Building.

And if you happen to be required to shave, seek out a traditional Japanese shave.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Montana Smith said:
They do that in Japan?

With some ~30-million neighbors in the Tokyo Metro Area, nearly every activity has been accounted for. That includes pet cafes for apartment dwellers who aren't allowed to have furry companions. For about nine bucks American (at last check), you get an hour's worth of petting time and a beverage.

Here's an older video from Time Magazine.

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Montana Smith said:
They definitely do this in Japan, but... :confused:

Well, I was thinking of the ever popular maid cafes. The many, many sex clubs are another option. Paying to... ah, visit with a young lady in a crowded subway car is definitely doable. Or, if you prefer to have a scatological themed dinner eaten out of a tiny plastic toilet that's also doable.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
With some ~30-million neighbors in the Tokyo Metro Area, nearly every activity has been accounted for. That includes pet cafes for apartment dwellers who aren't allowed to have furry companions. For about nine bucks American (at last check), you get an hour's worth of petting time and a beverage.

That would be $9 well spent to play with the most pampered kitties in Japan.

Le Saboteur said:
Or, if you prefer to have a scatological themed dinner eaten out of a tiny plastic toilet that's also doable.

Given a choice I'd stick to Nyotaimori!
 

Finn

Moderator
Staff member
Le Saboteur said:
Paying to... ah, visit with a young lady in a crowded subway car is definitely doable. Or, if you prefer to have a scatological themed dinner eaten out of a tiny plastic toilet that's also doable.
Firsthand experience?

Shouldn't really matter, though. Because by leaving that positive or negative out, the whole of Internet is already going to think it's a positive.


Congratulations on your new status.
 
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