Jumbo video screens in Shibuya
The Shibuya 109 building houses fashion stores
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Shibuya is a good place to start. Shibuya Station is a major terminal served
by two Japan Railways lines, two subway lines, and two private railway lines.
Back in the Edo period (1603-1868), this area was covered by rice paddies and
tea fields. But it began developing rapidly in 1885, when Shibuya Station was
built, and the station is now surrounded by big department stores and a maze of
shops and restaurants.
The department stores, like the surrounding area, are diverse. Each caters to a different clientele, such as businesspeople or university-level students in their early twenties. One department store, for instance, devotes all of its floors to products and services specifically targeted at teenagers. The shop attendants at this department store enjoy a celebrity-like popularity, and teenagers imitate not just their fashion but also their way of speaking. Besides stores, Shibuya is also home to many public facilities, such as Denryokukan (TEPCO Electric Energy Museum), an admission-free showroom where visitors can learn all about electricity, from the science of electricity generation to unexpected uses of electricity; the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) Broadcasting Center; and the cultural complex known as Bunkamura, which hosts exhibitions and events of various kinds. Shibuya has also recently attracted a concentration of Internet-related businesses; this trend has given rise to the nickname "Bit Valley." |
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