JR Shibuya Station

A cool station that exemplifies Japan. Also, it is way better to experience first hand than in a movie. It is a big station that is sort of easy to navigate. From the walkway over to the mall next door you observe the Shibuya scramble from a distance. There are a lot places nearby to stay, shop, and eat. It is one of must do sights in Japan.

The Times Square station of Tokyo is an understatement for Shibuya. This is one of the busiest areas of the city and the train station serves as a gateway to Shibuya and other points outward. As per other Tokyo train stations it’s a organized calamity. Many men in dark business suits are herding through the turnstiles at a rapid pace and people are buying train tickets at the various machines in rapid fire but all in a very civilized manner. You have to love Japan for this.
Outside of the train station you need to check out Shibuya scramble and also the local landmark Hachicko statue. These are the two most important stops outside the train station. It’s a busy place. Come get a vibe for how dense this city truly is!

Follow the signs to the Hachiko exit and visit with the famous dog!
This is a very busy station and very crowded, especially during the rush hours. So be aware and try to stay out of the way of the commuters who know what they’re doing.
There are plenty of ticket vending machines and all have buttons for English. And all of the signage is also in English. So yes, my fellow tourist, you’ll do just fine.

JR SHIBUYA STATION
Shibuya station was our home base station since it was close to our hotel. Shibuya is a great area to stay in as it has a lot going on: shopping, the scramble, and it’s actually an easy walk to neighboring areas such as Harajuku. The station itself is off the Yamanote line, so easy to get to the main areas in Tokyo without transferring.
Make sure to check out the Hachiko statue at the station. The story of this dog is so sad and endearing.

Love ya, Shibuya.
Not in the least because you introduced me to the world of intuitive vending machines. A vending machine that guesses what I want based on its assumption of my gender and emotional expression? WHAT.
JR upstairs, subway around the corner and downstairs. Between the lines, it’s super easy to get distracted by the shiny lights and stores of Shibuya crossing. If I’m not in a hurry like everyone else around me, I might give in. If not, I’ll keep following signs until I make it to a platform.
You’re my favorite hub, a huge fast-​moving bear of a hub that connects me with everywhere I want to be. I love watching ladies clicking confidently down your stairs on high heels, schlepping shopping treasures, waving friends goodbye after some dinner and drinks.
I love seeing immaculate and diverse fashions on all ages and genders. You’re where we saw our first real-​life Sweet Lolita. All delirious from jet-​lag, my friend nearly lost composure, and I felt like I’d come home.
You’re fun and frantic and fascinating all hours of the day, except midnight — 5am, when the bars are still open, but sadly, you’re closed.

Confusing station… It’s a big station so it gets crazy. If you’re here for the NEX (narita express) back to Narita Airport, make sure you get tickets/​reserved or non-​reserved seat. The JR pass does not include travel on the NEX back to Narita Airport.
They do check your tickets during your ride, so don’t try and sneak on because you WILL get caught on the narita express if you are without tickets! Make sure you check your routes twice because the trains go opposite way and you can easily end up going the wrong direction!
Hot tip** make sure to purchase a day pass if you plan to use the trains more than 3−4x a day. It’s significantly cheaper and you can save a bit of time by not having to utilize the ticket machines and then waiting in that line.

If you’ve ever seen any pictures of Tokyo, most likely you’ve seen glimpses of Shibuya.
Shibuya is often referred as the Times Square of Tokyo; it’s a hub for food, fashion, businesses and many recreational facilities. JR Shibuya Station is probably the most used and famous station to get people to this city.
Be aware that the station is pretty large and has many exits, so it can be confusing to get around at times. if you want to see the Scramble Crossing or the Hachiko statue, go out of Hachiko exit. If you’re looking for the Hikarie building, go out of the East exit.
If you’re not quite sure where to go, feel free to ask an employee in the station. I’ve heard that they are improving English fluency for major stations in Tokyo.

This is one of the busiest stations in Tokyo. The construction around the JR station is also causing a huge nightmare for folks in the area. They really should consider expanding the station. There are two main platform areas where multiple trains stop. The Yamanote line has its own dedicated set of tracks and all the other trains, such as the NEX share the other set. The layout is also super confusing. If you wan to make it from one platform to another, you’re going to have took plow the signs diligently.
Most of the train empties at Shibuya, so you should be able to squeeze into the car. If you’re one of the people to get off at Shibuya, be prepared to walk in an ocean of people queuing to get out of the gates. The Hachiko main exit only has 2 gates for people to exit and 3 to enter. They absolutely need to add gates! If you’re willing to walk a little further, there is another set of gates at the Hachiko exit. Once you get to the bottom of the stairs, swing a 180 and you’ll see the gates a little ways down.
A lot of tourists catch the NEX at Shibuya station. PRO TIP: Buy your NEX tickets in advance. The last thing you want to do while rushing to the airport is wait in line to buy a ticket. The lines can take up to 30 minutes. Mind you, the NEX comes every 30 minutes.
Another PRO TIP for tourists. If you really want to see a bazar sight, head to the Yamanote platform around 9AM. You’ll see a sea of salary men and women on their way to work. The station and platform are crowded, but it is dead silent. No one is taking. You can hear a pin drop. It’s the most eerie thing to see people wearing the same suits and not speaking a word. It’s like a zombie apocalypse. If you want to take this one step further, get on the train for 1 – 2 stops. You’ll experience the sardine experience and still not hear a word murmured from these people. Head toward Ebisu and grab some food there. There are so many more restaurants in Ebisu. They aren’t geared toward tourist, so you won’t be overcharged. The food is also amazing in Ebisu.

One of the most busiest station in Tokyo, and also very confused structure whole train station buildings. If you miss your route in Shibuya station, please don’t mind. Even though Japanese people who not familiar with Shibuya area, they also could not reach their destination directory. One more bad news, now Shibuya station is under re-​construction works, sometimes exit or stair location will be changed due to construction schedule, so you don’t need surprise if station building disappeared your next visit. Construction works will be going on through 2025, after Tokyo Olympic games in 2020! Please enjoy your stay in Shibuya station, what you see today can’t see tomorrow.

Every bit as crazy and congested as expected. Just finding the right entrance to get into the right line is nuts. You pop out to tons of folks at the scramble crossing and just watching the mass humanity is interesting. After visiting the Tokyu Food show and the local mall it was time to push off into the sea of people and head back to the hotel

If you’ve ever read the story of Hachiko and /​or seen either film based on his life (there’s a Japanese original and an English language remake with Richard Gere, both are quite good) then visiting Shibuya Station and the bronze statue dedicated to him are an absolute must if you are ever in Tokyo. I spent eleven days in Hiroshima — Kyoto — Tokyo while attending my best friend’s wedding and I can honestly say that other than the wedding itself, this was the thing I was looking forward to more than anything. More than Mount Fuji, more than the majestic Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto, more than Miyajima. Seriously. And I was not disappointed.
The station itself is crazy and the crossing outside is, of course, one of the coolest things to see in Tokyo. But for me, it was all about Hachiko. I’m not going to go into rambling detail about his remarkable story (you can look it up for yourself) but if you’re an animal lover, his is one of the most incredible and touching tales you will ever hear. On the subway ride over I think I must have been beaming the entire time and when I finally got there, I promptly burst into tears and was only able to contain myself long enough to take a couple of photos. I was blubbering the whole time, so I am a complete suck .But it was almost a biblical experience for me. Really.
So yeah, just go, take your picture and pay tribute to one of the most wonderful, loyal companions a man could ever hope for. And maybe make sure you have some tissue in your pockets.
P. S. Very cool story: on the way there I was chatting with my friends on the train about how excited I was to see Hachiko when an older Japanese lady sitting right next to me overhears us and comments to me (in perfect English) that her uncle had been a regular commuter at Shibuya Station in the late 1920s /​early 30s and had in fact met the real Hachiko on many occasions. Unbelievable!

Shibuya station is probably one of the busiest train station in the world. It’s also the place that will take you to see Hachiko, the most famous dog in Japan and maybe the world!
I recommend avoiding rush around 7−9am and 3−5pm for claustrophobics because trains can get really packed!

My husband and I got the JR rail pass 3 months before going to Japan so we didn’t have to pay much extra to get anywhere on the bullet trains. The smaller trains, we didn’t pay much. This place is easy access if you have your JR rail pass.
Also, if you forgot something, want to shop, want to grab a bite to eat, needed to get a gift for someone, there’s shops here left and right for all those reasons. Very cool and all of the desserts made me really want to stop in and get them all!
Though I will say I don’t like being shoved in the trains like sardines and having complete strangers fall asleep on my shoulder, while standing up.

Great central location for Tokyo and also home to the famous Hachiko Statue. (If you’re not familiar — there’s a movie called «Hatchi» about a loyal dog who always waited for his owner at this station, til one day the owner didn’t return because he died.) Anyway — we stayed at nearby Granbell Hotel Shibuya (super awesome boutique hotel a block away, a MUST to stay at in Shibuya) and I realized I had left my UNIQLO shopping back on the train on an overhead shelf in one of the cars. I only realized this as I got off the train and the car had been long gone. My Japanese speaking skills are not that great and I can only get as far as to order a meal or get through the airport — but the helpful JR Shibuya staff were able to locate my bag for me in less than 15 minutes (CRAZY RIDICULOUS!) I honestly don’t understand how they did it but it was amazing. The Green Line (Yamanote Line) runs in a circle through this station and connects you to other central Tokyo locations such as Harajuku, Ebisu, etc., and the Narita Express also stops and leaves from this station. It’s a little troublesome to find an elevator, but I think that’s just how Japan is.

This station is undergoing some major construction, which made it hard to navigate where you should go after you leave the station and going to the station to find the right line. The construction is also brutal for visitors lugging around 2 full-​size pieces of luggage, especially in the rain (true story). The maps at the station were confusing so we relied so much more on Google Maps instead.
Still, it is at the heart of Shibuya and close to many places you would want to visit, tourist or not. Hope that the station is completely done when I make a return visit to Tokyo (which I hope is soon!).

Shibuya Station is the gateway to many interesting sights, shopping and eating places, it is quite a busy station and the area is also known for one of the most busiest streets too. From this station you can visit the Hachiko statue (Hachiko exit), Center Gai which is a fashion trendy area with a lot of fashion stores and boutiques, Spain Slope (supeinzaka) a small road that looks Spanish with a lot of boutiques and cafés, Koenig Dori (Park Street) which leads to Yoyogi Park, there’s Tokyu and Seibu Department Stores, Shibuya Mark City which is attached to the train station with a lot of stores and restaurants, and Love Hotel Hill where there are a lot of Love Hotels.
Right now there is a lot of construction going on as a large building is being constructed so the many confusing gates are soon to be even worse.
I would think if you are going to meet someone probally your best bet is the Hachiko statue since the Hachiko exit is the most easiest to remember and look for.
At any given time in the evenings and weekends there seems to always have some people playing music just outside of the station mostly near the Hachiko statue.
It is a great station to come through to experience many sights.

This is called Yamanote line and it runs in a circle. (So you can arrive the station even if you miss to take off the train; just keep riding. lol)
This station has many ticket gates, so be careful when you meet up with someone at a ticket gate. Maybe it’s better to change the meeting place.
Though many people use this station, the platform is small and it’s tiring moving from one end to the other.

Shibuya Station is really, really famous for being very busy. It is not for the faint of heart! With around 2.4 milion people commuting on an average weekday, this station is always packed with commuters going to and from work.
It’s near the famous Shibuya district of Tokyo, which has a wide variety of technology based stores and services. It’s a tourist destination but certainly a crowded one! You can really see the people flow into Shibuya, one of the main arteries of Tokyo.
It has all the facilities you would expect of a station in Japan, there are shopping malls and restaurants lining the walkways and if you don’t mind walking it is near Yoyogi Park, which is a great place to visit once you’re done with the hustle and bustle of every day Japanese commuter life.

This is one of the biggest cities in Japan.
So it assures you that you can buy anything or do anything.
The major line of this station is Yamanote line.
On the platform you can eat foods, which means that when you wait for the trains, you can eat them.
As this is a large station, there is a problem which is inevitable.
You will lose your ways!
This is really inevitable.
The exit is named after the famous objects or famous streets.
But those who first come here can lose your ways!
So you should be prepared to lose them (´・・｀)
There are no exceptions about this.
There is something I had to say, it is that this station is not clean because of those who throw up at night.
But that is one feature of this station…