© Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
An hour by hour route through Shibuya, with a curated set of stops for food, shopping and sightseeing.
Last updated
Shibuya is much more than its famous crossing. This one day route begins with breakfast and the neighborhood’s best known landmarks, then continues through its main shopping streets, pop culture stores and rooftop views before ending with dinner and a choice of late night stops. The day is arranged around opening hours and a sunset reservation at Shibuya Sky, with walking times between stops to help you keep pace.
If you only do four things
The crossing before the crowds
Shibuya Scramble Crossing
Sunset from 229 meters
Shibuya Sky
Nintendo, Pokemon and Capcom on one floor
Shibuya PARCO
Miyashita Park before sunset
Miyashita Park
3 locations·Shibuya Station, West and Hachiko exits
Begin with breakfast at White Glass Coffee in Sakuragaoka, a quieter area west of the station. From there, walk to Hachiko and cross the Scramble intersection before the midday crowds arrive. Visiting early makes both landmarks easier to photograph, while returning after dark lets you experience the crossing when it is busiest and most atmospheric.
visitors rate it well; locals rate it well.
Next, Hachiko Statue · 5-minute walk · east toward the station
rated highly.
Next, Shibuya Crossing · next door
rated highly.
Next, Shibuya 109 · next door
See It In Action
2 locations·Shibuya Station, Hachiko exit
Shibuya 109 opens at 10:00 and is worth a quick look for the vibes even if you do not plan to shop. Its stores focus on trend led youth fashion and cosmetics, so travelers looking for general souvenirs can keep the visit brief. From there, continue through Center-Gai, a busy pedestrian street lined with arcades, casual restaurants and chain shops.
rated modestly.
Next, Center-Gai · next door
rated well.
Next, Uobei · next door · the street comes out beside it
See It In Action
2 locations·Shibuya Station, Hachiko exit
Have lunch before noon to avoid the busiest part of the lunch rush. Uobei is easy to navigate thanks to its multilingual touch screens, and each order arrives directly at your seat on a high-speed conveyor. Continue to Shibuya Loft for seven floors of stationery, cosmetics, household goods and compact souvenirs. Allow about an hour for each stop.
visitors rate it well; locals rate it modestly. Visitor favourite.
Next, Loft · next door
rated well.
Next, Shibuya PARCO · next door
2 locations·Shibuya Station, Hachiko exit
Spend the early afternoon at Shibuya PARCO. The sixth floor brings Nintendo TOKYO, Pokémon Center SHIBUYA, CAPCOM STORE TOKYO and other game and character shops together in one place, so allow at least 60 to 90 minutes. If your Shibuya Sky reservation leaves enough time, stop at Chatei Hatou for hand-dripped coffee in a traditional kissaten. Skip the café when sunset falls early.
rated well.
Next, Miyashita Park · 5-minute walk
visitors rate it modestly; locals rate it very highly.
Detour, from Shibuya PARCO · 10-minute walk · and 5 to 10 minutes from Shibuya Sky
See It In Action
3 locations·Shibuya Station, direct from the east exit
Plan the afternoon around your Shibuya Sky reservation. Sunset is around 16:30 in December and shortly after 19:00 in late June, so there is no single entry time that works throughout the year. Reserve a slot 45 to 60 minutes before sunset, then spend any extra time at Miyashita Park and its free rooftop lawn. If dinner out in Shinsen afterwards is a bit too much of a trek, then the food hall under the station is five minutes away and takes no booking.
rated well.
Next, Shibuya Sky · 5-minute walk
rated very highly.
Next, Kaikaya by the Sea · 10-minute walk · west toward Shinsen
rated modestly.
Detour, from Shibuya Sky · 5-minute walk · back toward the station
See It In Action
4 locations·Shibuya Station, Hachiko exit
After Shibuya Sky, walk west toward Shinsen for dinner at Kaikaya, which is best reserved in advance. End the night with one option based on your interests. Choose Nonbei Yokocho for tiny old-school bars, The SG Club for cocktails or MEGA Don Quijote for late-night shopping. These are alternatives rather than consecutive stops.
visitors rate it highly; locals rate it modestly.
rated modestly.
Detour, from Kaikaya · 15-minute walk · back east past the station
visitors rate it highly; locals rate it well.
Detour, from Kaikaya · 15-minute walk · north into Jinnan
rated well.
Detour, from Kaikaya · 10-minute walk · the shortest of the three
See It In Action
Book Shibuya Sky first, then build the day around it
It is the only genuinely time-sensitive stop. Tickets are released two weeks ahead by timed entry and sell out, and when the website sells out the ticket desk has sold out too. Pick your slot, then slide the rest of this route to fit it.
Book ahead because sunset sells out
Adult admission after 15:00 costs 3,400 yen online and 3,700 at the counter. The price difference is modest, but popular sunset sessions can sell out well before the day of your visit. Child tickets are sold only at the desk on the day.
Check the sunset time before you pick a slot
Shibuya Sky publishes the day's sunrise and sunset on its own site. Enter 45 to 60 minutes before sunset so you can see the city in daylight, watch the sun go down and stay as the lights come on.
You cannot take a bag onto the roof
The open-air deck does not allow bags, but lockers on the 46th floor are part of the visit so you do not need to plan around it. Large luggage is the exception and has to go in a station locker first.
Do the landmarks before ten
The crossing and the Hachiko statue are the same landmarks at nine in the morning as at seven in the evening, with a fraction of the people in front of them.
Most stops are within a short walk
Most stops are within five to ten minutes of one another, and the walking times shown between them are estimates from mapped distance rather than measured routes. Kaikaya is the main exception, requiring a longer walk west from Shibuya Sky toward Shinsen.
For a first visit, yes. This route covers the landmarks, Shibuya’s major shopping experiences, the pop-culture floor, the observation deck and dinner. One day is enough for the major sights, but you will need a second visit to explore the quieter backstreets and smaller independent shops.
One thing. Shibuya Sky sells timed entry up to two weeks ahead and does sell out. Kaikaya is worth reserving if you want it for dinner, and the SG Club takes reservations for its basement room. Everything else on this route takes walk-ins.
Around sunset, entering before the sun drops rather than as it does. Check the sunset time for your date and reserve an entry slot approximately 45 to 60 minutes earlier.
If you are interested in Japanese youth fashion and cosmetics, yes. If you are looking for general souvenirs it is the wrong building, and Don Quijote or a department store food hall will serve you better.
The rooftop at Shibuya Sky closes in bad weather, and the deck does not operate while it is shut. The indoor observatory on 46F still opens when the roof is shut, so the visit is not lost. PARCO and Loft provide several hours of indoor shopping if rain changes your plans.
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