Shibuya was historically the site of a castle in which the Shibuya family resided from the 11th century through the
Edo period. Following the opening of the
Yamanote Line in 1885, Shibuya began to emerge as a railway terminal for southwestern Tokyo, and eventually as a major commercial and entertainment center.
The
village of Shibuya was incorporated in 1889 by the merger of the villages of Kami-Shibuya, Naka-Shibuya and Shimo-Shibuya within
Minami-Toshima County (Toyotama County from 1896). The village covered the territory of modern-day Shibuya Station area as well as the
Hiroo,
Daikanyama,
Aoyama, and
Ebisu areas. Shibuya became a
town in 1909. The town of Shibuya merged with the neighboring towns of Sendagaya (which included the modern
Senda,
Harajuku and
Jingumae areas) and
Yoyohata (which included the modern
Yoyogi and
Hata areas) to form Shibuya-ku
suburban ward upon being absorbed into
Tokyo City in 1932. Shibuya became an urban special ward under the
Local Autonomy Act in 1947.
The
Tokyu Toyoko Line opened in 1932, making Shibuya a key terminal between Tokyo and
Yokohama, and was joined by the forerunner of the
Keio Inokashira Line in 1933 and the forerunner of the
Tokyo Metro Ginza Line in 1938. The story of
Hachikō, a dog who waited for his deceased master at Shibuya Station every day from 1923 to 1935, created a national sensation due to his unwavering loyalty. A
statue of Hachikō was built adjacent to the station, and the surrounding Hachikō Square is now one of the most popular meeting points in the area.
During the
occupation of Japan,
Yoyogi Park was used as a housing compound for U.S. personnel known as "Washington Heights". The U.S. military left in 1964, and much of the park was repurposed as venues for the
1964 Summer Olympics. The ward itself served as part of the
athletics 50 km walk and marathon course during the 1964 games.[2]
In the mid 1990's,
Shibuya-kei, a
microgenre of pop music, became mainstream in Japan. Distinguished by a "cut-and-paste" approach, it peaked in the late 1990's and declined after its principal players began moving onto other music styles.
Shibuya Stream, a skyscraper and retail complex, was completed in 2018. The East Wing of a mixed-used skyscraper,
Shibuya Scramble Square, was completed in August 2019. A shopping mall, Shibuya Fukuras, was completed in October 2019.
During the early morning of January 1, 2019, a 21-year-old man named Kazuhiro Kusakabe
drove his minicar into a crowd of pedestrians celebrating New Year's Day on
Takeshita Street. The man claimed his actions were a terrorist attack, and later stated that his intention was to retaliate against the usage of the
death penalty on
Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult members. The man attempted to flee but was soon apprehended by authorities in a nearby park.[3][4]
Miyashita Park closed in 2017 and reopened in July 2020 as a shopping complex with a rooftop park.
In 2015, as the council passed "Ordinance for Promoting Respect of Gender Equality and Diversity in the Ward",[5] Shibuya Ward became the first Japanese municipality that issues
same-sex partnership certificates.[6] According to this ordinance, same-sex couples who live in Shibuya are allowed "to rent apartments together, and have gained hospital visitation rights as family members".[6] The ordinance was intended to bring three benefits to same-sex couples: "(1) rental housing within the ward (co-signing of tenancy agreements for municipal/public housing), (2) medical institutions within the ward (hospital visitation and medical decision-making rights as family members), and (3) employment conditions within the ward (e.g. family benefits, congratulations and condolence leave)".[5] In order to apply for the certificate, couples must be 20-years-old or older residents of Shibuya Ward and have to state that "their relationship is based on love and mutual trust" in a notarized document.[7] Koyuki Higashi (a former member of the
Takarazuka Revue) and Hiroko Masuhara (an entrepreneur), a lesbian couple, were the first to receive this certification.[7] Since the Shibuya Ward passed the ordinance, seven other municipalities in Japan have begun offering similar certificates.[8]
The
BBC notes that in practice, the ordinance is not binding, though their
names will be posted on the ward's website if they violate the ordinance.[9] Shimizu says the system "is not equivalent to marriage, as it does not accord same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to inheritance, joint filing of taxes, or social welfare".[5] As it requires at least a hundred thousand yen to apply for the certificate, it can be restrictive to some couples.[10] Shimizu argues that Shibuya Ward has been criticized for
pinkwashing as "while passing this ordinance, the administration also moved to expel the homeless in
Miyashita Park and other parks in the ward".[5] Pointing out that the mayor of Shibuya Ward in an interview stated that this is not a matter of human rights, but of diversity, Yuri Horie claimed that the term of diversity seems to be used to divide citizens into the good and the bad; it raises only the ones who contribute to the consumeristic society as representer of "diversity of sexuality" while excluding the useless ones.[11] Yuki Tsuchiya, a lesbian activist, also argues that LGBT individuals are used to promote the ward.[12]
Sightseeing and local landmarks
Shibuya is famous for its
scramble crossing, called
Shibuya Crossing.[13] It is located in front of the
Shibuya Station Hachikō exit and stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. Shibuya Crossing is the "world's busiest pedestrian crossing", with upwards of 3,000 people at a time.[14][15][16]A statue of the dog
Hachikō, remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner, is installed outside Shibuya Station. The statue and its surrounding Hachikō Square are a common meeting place and are almost always crowded. On the southwest side of Shibuya Station, there is a
Moyai statue, given to Shibuya by the people of
Niijima Island in 1980.
Green areas
Shinjuku Gyo-en, former Imperial gardens now open to the public as a park
Dōgen-zaka [
ja], a road in central Shibuya famous for its surrounding nightclubs and
love hotels
Komazawa Dōri [
ja] – running past
Daikanyama, down the hill to Ebisu, crossing
Meiji Dōri and up the hill through
Higashi and
Hiroo. The road stops at the
Shuto Expressway in Minami Aoyama. Famed for its beautiful trees that turn bright yellow in autumn, cafes, restaurants, and a large replica of
Michelangelo's
David outside of the Papas building.
Prince Hitachi and
Princess Hitachi have their official residence in a palace in large gardens off Komazawadori in Higashi.[17]
Shibuya Sky, a 360-degree open-air observatory on
Shibuya Scramble Square, the highest point in the district of Shibuya overlooking Shibuya and the greater Tokyo skyline
The Imperial Platform, used by the
Japanese Imperial Family on rare occasions, is located along the Yamanote Line, a few minutes walk from Harajuku Station in Sendagaya 3-chome.
At one time
Smilesoft had its headquarters in the CT Sasazuka Building in Shibuya.[27] In May 1985 the headquarters of
Bandai Visual moved to Shibuya. In March 1990 the headquarters moved to
Shinjuku.[28]
A.D. Vision - Tokyo, Y.K., the Japanese subsidiary of
A.D. Vision, was in Shibuya.[29]Acclaim Entertainment once had its Tokyo office in the Nomora Building.[30] The Japanese subsidiary of
Titus Interactive, Titus Japan K.K., had its head office on the eighth floor of the Kotubuki Dogenzaka Building in
Dōgenzaka.[31] The former animation studio;
Group TAC was also located here.
Square Enix headquarters were located in Yoyogi before moving to Shinjuku in 2012.[32]
Shibuya operates several public libraries, including the Central Library, the Nishihara Library, the Shibuya Library, the Tomigaya Library, the Sasazuka Library, the Honmachi Library, and the Rinsen Library. In addition, the Yoyogi Youth Hall houses the Yoyogi Library Room.[46]
^"
Company OverviewArchived September 14, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine."
Mixi. Retrieved on April 3, 2012. "Headquarter address Sumitomo Fudosan Shibuya First Tower 7F, 1-2-20 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0011, Japan"